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LONDON*^^  


LIBRARY 

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CA-lfORNIA 


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THE  LIBRARY 

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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


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Miss  Bogardus  Brodt 


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KiCH  AON  D  TO  Oxford. 

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John  Leyland. 


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London. 
GEO.  NEWNES.  Ltd.  Southampton  St.W.C. 
Printed  by  HUDSON  &KEARNS.  London.  S.E. 


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N  this  pleasure-sailing  and  wayfaring 
journey  through  the  valley  of  the  regal 
Thames  we  are  in  quest  of  the  wooded 
splendours,  the  green  and  silvery 
beauties  and  the  ever-glowing  charms 
and  attractions  of  the  romantic  and 
historic  stream  ;  the  sparkle  of  its  life ;  its 
famous  memories,  its  associations  with  princes, 
statesmen,  and  poets,  its  legendary  lore,  and 
the  palaces  and  celebrated  houses  that  over- 
look its  stream.  Where  should  such  a  survey 
begin  ?  We  have  chosen  RICHMOND  for  our 
starting  place,  and  could  have  no  better  be- 
ginning. Looking  down  from  Richmond  Bridge 
upon  the  broad  bosom  of  the  river,  dotted  with 
hundreds  of  pleasure  craft,  gay  with  the  ripple 
of  enjoyment,  and  shadowed  by  umbrageous 
banks,  we  confess,  it  is  true,  that  the  majestic 
waters  flow  further  by  places  that  would  in- 
terest us  much.  We  think  of  Kew,  with  its 
-courtly  associations,  where  the  farmer -King 
lived  like  a  country  squire,  famous  all  the 
world  over  for  its  Botanic  Gardens.  Syon 
House  and  Isleworth,  too,  might  detain  us 
with  their  memories  of  Simon  de  IWontfort, 
the  Protector  Somerset,  and  Lady  Jane  Grey. 
We  know  that  beyond  ebbs  and  flows  the 
Thames  as  the  mighty  waterway  of  the 
commercial  capital  of  the  world. 

But  Richmond,  the  "  metropolis"  of  Wal- 
pole,  has  a  place  and  character  of  its  own. 
It  still,  as  in  his  time,  "flourishes  exceedingly." 
Who  does  not  exult  with  the  true  joie  de  vivre, 
that  witnesses  the  gaiety  of  the  river  in  the 
summer  sunshine,  the  swift  movements  of 
.countless  river  craft  and  the  flashing  of  oars, 
who  hears  light-hearted  laughter  from  river 
and  road  ;  when  he  sees.  too.  the  broad  waters 


reflecting 
the  varied 
and  glowing 
foliage  that 
clothes  the 
nobly  con- 
toured hill  .' 

Here  lingers  still  the  full  aroma  of  the  old 
Court  life,  with  its  famous  beauties,  its  powder 
and  patches,  its  gentlemen  in  satin  coats,  with 
wigs  and  clouded  canes,  sedan  chairs  going  to 
and  fro,  and  the  river  fetes  and  masquerades  of 
the  Richmond  of  Anne  and  the  Georges.  We 
think  of  royal  splendour,  of  assemblies  at  the 
"Star  and  Garter,"  of  "  Maids  of  Honour," 
and  the  "  Lass  of  Richmond  Hill."  From  that 
hill  what  a  prospect  is  unfolded  !  The  eye 
rests  upon  a  picturesque  and  broken  fore- 
ground, upon  a  lovely  view  of  the  placid 
Thames,  dotted  with  green  eyots,  moving 
skiffs,  and  white  swans,  upon  dense  woods  and 
green  meadows,  the  coppices  and  brakes  of 
mysterious  Ham,  the  classic  hill  of  Twickenham, 
the  historic  pile  of  Hampton  Court,  and  the 
deep  avenues  of  Bushey,  the  heights  of 
Claremont  and  Esher,  the  beech-clad  hills  c** 
Buckinghamshire,  and,  far  off,  the  "raptur'd 
eye  exulting,"  to  use  the  words  of  Thomson, 
beholds  "  majestic  Windsor  lift  his  princely- 
brow,"  begemming  the  purple  haze. 

There  is  magic  witchery  in  the  association 
of  names.  The  saying  does  not  hold  good  of 
scenery ,that  the  country  is  happy  that  has  no 
history.  It  is  history,  the  haunting  presence 
of  great  men  and  the  memory  of  famous  deeds, 
that  invests  locality  with  imperishable  charm, 
and  such  spell  the  name  of  RICHMOND  will 
ever  exercise.     It  is  not  +he  original  name  of 


r^- 


407 


THE   THAMES   HLU  ST  RATED. 


tne  place,  nevertheless.  Another  historic 
Richmond  by  the  distant  Swale,  through 
Henry  Tudor,  once  Earl  of  Richmond,  who 
directed  the  change  of  name  about  1500,  was 
Its  sponsor  Medisval  men  knew  the  hill  by 
the  Thames  as  Sheen,  meaning  the  beautiful 
(a  kindred  Saxon  word  of  the  German  Schone), 
as  many  say,  and  as  it  is  pleasant  to  believe. 
It  was  ever  a  forest  land,  wooded  with  beech 
and  oak,  but  the  judicious  planting  of  other 
trees  by  successive  possessors  of  rich  domains 
has  added  greatly  to  its  woodland  charm. 
Edward  1.  had  a  house  at  Sheen,  and  there 
Edward  III.  died  almost  abandoned.  it  is 
fabled  that  Richard  11.  cursed  the  place  because 
it  was  at  Sheen  that  his  wife,  Anne  of 
Bohemia,  expired.  If  so,  his  curse  was  in- 
operative, for  Henry  V.,  liking  the  place 
immensely,  rebuilt  the  palace  and  showered 
benefits  upon  the  locality.  RICHMOND  rose 
to  magnificence  under  the  Tudors.  Henry  VU. 
lived  there  much,  and  rebuilt  the  palace,  which 
had  been  burned.  His  bluff  son  gave  splendid 
entertainments  at  Richmond,  and  they  point 
to  a  hill  in  Richmond  Park  upon  which  it  is 
said  he  waited  to  see  the  sianal  rocket  that 
betokened  the  beheading  of  Anne  Boleyn  at 
the  Tower.  t. 

When  the  covetous  eye  of  Henry  had  been 
set  upon  the  costly  house,  which  "  my  Lord 
the  Cardinal"  had  beautified  so  regally  at 
Hampton,  "to  show  how  noble  a  palace  a 
subject  may  offer  to  his  sovereign,"  Henry 
gave  Wolsey  permission  "to  lie  in  his  manor 
of  Richmond  at  his  pleasure,"  and  the  old  royal 
servants,  we  read,  grudged,  m  their  coarse 
fashion,  to  see  a  "  butcher's  dog  "  so  honoured. 


Hampton  WUk. 

Here  it  was  that  Edward  VI.  witnessed  the 
marriage  of  Amy  Robsart  to  Robert  Dudley, 
that  Elizabeth  afterwards  lived,  and  was 
grievously  offended  once  by  a  sermon  on  the 
infirmities  of  age,  which  reminded  her  too 
forcibly  of  her  wrinkles,  and  that  the  Stuarts 
frequently  "kept  house."  The  tale,  however, 
would  be  endless  of  the  long  succession  of 
princes  and  nobles  who  have  delighted  in  the 
woodland  retreats,  the  hunting  diversions, 
and  the  palace  festivities  of  RICHMOND.  It 
was  after  the  Restoration  that  the  Palace 
begin  to  fall  into  decay,  and  now,  between 
the  Green  and  the  river,  but  a  few  fragments 
remain  to  speak  of  its  half-legendary  grandeur. 

Royal  favour  afterwards  fell  upon  the 
Lodge  in  the  Old  Park,  which  lay  between 
the  Green  and  Kew,  by  the  riverside.  Here 
Queen  Caroline,  counselled  by  Stephen 
Duck,  the  butt  of  Swift,  raised  a  fantastic 
hermitage,  Merlin's  cave,  and  a  grotto,  with  a 
magnificent  terrace  by  the  river,  all  ruthlessly 
swept  away  by  "Capability"  Brown,  under 
the  orders  of  matter-of-fact  George  111.  The 
King  is  said  to  have  detested  his  grandmother, 
and  her  fairyland  vanished  at  his  touch. 

But  Richmond  Park — the  Great  or  New 
Park,  as  it  once  was  called— is,  as  all  the 
world  knows,  upon  tne  hill.  You  enter  it  by 
the  gate  near  the  Star  and  Garter — there  are 
seven  other  public  entrances — and  the  road 
which  leads  across  will  soon  unfold  most 
extensive  prospects.  Broad  sweeps  of  the 
greenest  pasture,  broken  by  stretches  of  wood, 
where,  amid  ancient  trees,  great  herds  of  red 
anr*.  fallow  deer  have  their  taunts,  are  the 
foreground  to  a  wide  panorama  of  the  heaths 
and  groves  of  Surrey  on  one  hand,  and  the 
cultivated  tracts  of  Middlesex,  with  distant 
Harrow,  on  the  other.  In  the  midst  of  the 
Park  lie  the  Pen  Ponds,  well  storked  with  fish ; 
and  beyond  stands  White  Lodge,  where  Lord 


RICHMOND. 


5 


Tfce  White  Lodge. 


Sidmouth  entertained  Pitt,  Sheridan,  Scott  and 
Nelson,  long  a  favoured  resort  of  royalty,  and 
now  the  residence  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Teck.  The  house  will  henceforward  be 
remembered  by  Englishmen  as  the  birthplace 
of  an  heir  to  the  throne.  The  gentler  beauties 
of  Richmond  Park  are  coy,  and  need  to 
be  wooed,  for  there  are  sweet  recesses  and 
woodland  solitudes  known  to  few  among  the 
many  who  visit  the  breezy  height  of  Richmond 
Hill. 

Upon  Richmond  itself  a  volume  might  be 
written.  Here  the  visitor  will  find  abundant 
attractions  both  of  nature  and  art,  many 
splendid  houses,  each  with  a  history,  a  host 
of  associations  such  as  I  have  suggested,  many 
haunts  of  famous  men.     He  may  see  the  house 


where  Reynolds  entertained 
his  friends,  may  visit  the  grave 
of  Thomson,  the  poet  of  Rich- 
mond and  the  Thames,  and 
may  speculate  upon  the  original 
of  the  "Lass  of  Richmond 
Hill " — was  it  Mrs.  Fitzherbert  ? 
— and  of  the  swain  who  pro-  . 
claimed  his  sentiments  of 
fidelity  in  the  well-known  lines, 

"  I'd  crowns  resign  to  call  thee  mine. 
Sweet  lass  of  Richmond  Hill." 

But  it  is  time  for  us  to  hie 
away  from  these  attractive 
scenes  to  others  with  equal 
charms.  At  the  foot  of  Rich- 
mond Hill,  south-westward, 
between  the  Park  and  the 
river,  are  Petersham  meadows,  with  old 
Ham  House,  hidden  among  the  trees,  opposite 
Twickenham,  and  Ham  Walks,  the  favourite 
haunt  at  times  of  Pope,  Swift  and  Gay,  along 
the  bank.  Who  has  not  heard  of  1  wicken- 
ham  Ferry  .■'  It  brings  the  visitor  from  the 
Middlesex  side  by  easy  approach  to  the 
mysterious  groves  of  Ham.  A  volume  might 
be  written  upon  the  history  and  associations 
of  Ham  House.  "  Old  trees,"  said  Leigh 
Hunt,  "the  most  placid  of  rivers,  Thomson 
up  above  you,  Pope  near  you,  Cowley 
himself  not  far  off.  1  hope  here  is  a  nest 
of  repose,  both  material  and  spiritual,  of  the 
most  Cowleyian  and  Evelynian  sort. 
Though  that  infernal  old  Duke  of  Lauderdale 
who  put  people  to  the  rack,  lived  there  in  the 


I'hota.,  y.  S.  Cat/ord. 


Peiersham  Church. 


Hamptctt  WiVK 


THE  THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


original  Ham  House — he  married  a  Dysart — 
yet  even  the  bitter  taste  is  taken  out  of  the 
mouth  by  the  sweets  of  these  poets,  and  by  the 
memories  of  the  good  Duke  of  Queensberry 
and  his  good  Duchess  (Prior's  Kitty),  who 
nursed  their  friend  Gay  there  when  he  was 
ill."  The  house  was  built  in  1610  for  Sir 
Thomas  Vavasour,  and,  after  passing  through 
various  hands,  came  by  purchase  to  William 
Murray,  Lord  Huntingtower,  afterwards  Earl 
of  Dysart;  and  the  "infernal  old  Duke" 
referred  to  was  the  Lauderdale  of  the  Cabal, 
who  married  the  Earl's  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
Countess  of  Dysart,  widow  of  Sir  Lionel 
Tollemache.  It  was  here,  as  tradition  has  it, 
that  the  Cabal  held  their  secret  councils.  The 
house  yet  bears  the  impress  of  Lauderdale's 
alterations,  and,  through  all  its  long  possession 
by  the  Tollemaches,  Earls  of  Dysart,  it  has 
retained  its  old  Jacobean  character.  An 
ancestral  hush  rests  upon  its  long  avenues,  its 
rusted  gates,  its  gnarled  pines,  its  mellow 
brickwork,  and  the  long  corridors,  in  which 
ghosts  walk  in  the  moonshine,  rustling  their 
silken  garments  when  the  wind  sweeps  by. 

Partly  through  much  neglect,  and  now 
through  long  inherited  veneration  for  the  eld,  the 
character  of  the  house  remains  unchanged.  The 
dappled  lawns,  the  old-time  flower-beds,  and 
the  gaunt  and  solemn  pines,the  worn  balustrades, 
the  grass-grown  paths,  the  famous  iron  gates, 
rusting  between  lofty  urn-crowned  piers,  and 
the  absolute  stillness  of  the  scene,  carry  us 
back  a  century  or  two,  and  only  the  occasional 
throbbing  of  a  steam-tug  on  the  river  recalls 
the  nineteenth  century.     The  visitor  will  hear 


much  of  the  iron  gates  and  the  legends^ 
concerning  their  opening  ;  how  but  once  they 
have  stood  ajar  since  they  were  closed  on 
Charles  II.,  and  perhaps  another  monarch 
must  come  ere  again  they  swing  on  their 
hinges.  When  Horace  Walpole's  niece  became 
Countess  of  Dysart,  the  melancholy  charms  of 
Ham  House  made  him  at  once  delighted  and 
peevish.  "  Close  to  the  Thames,  in  the  centre 
of  rich  and  verdant  beauty,  it  is  so  blocked  up 
and  barricaded  with  walls,  vast  trees  and 
gates,  that  you  think  yourself  an  hundred  miles 
off,  and  an  hundred  years  back,"  he  wrote. 
"  The  old  furniture  is  so  magnificently  ancient, 
dreary,  and  decayed,  that  at  every  step  one's 
spirits  sink,  and  all  my  passion  for  antiquity 
could  not  keep  them  up.  Every  minute  I 
expected  to  see  ghosts  sweeping  by ;  ghosts  I 
would  not  give  sixpence  to  see — Lauderdales, 
Tollemaches,  and  Maitlands.  ...  In  this 
state  of  pomp  and  tatters  my  nephew  intends 
it  shall  remain,  and  is  so  religious  an  observer 
of  the  venerable  rights  of  his  house,  that 
because  they  were  never  opened  by  his  father 
but  once,  for  the  late  Lord  Granville,  you  are 
locked  out  and  locked  in,  and  after  journeying 
all  round  the  house,  as  you  do  round  an  old 
French  fortified  town,  you  are  at  last  admitted 
through  the  stable  yard  to  creep  along  a 
dark  passage  by  the  housekeeper's  room, 
and  so  by  a  back  door  into  the  great  hall. 
He  seems  as  much  afraid  of  water  as  a  cat, 
for  though  you  might  enjoy  the  Thames  from 
every  window  of  three  sides  of  the  house, 
you  may  tumble  into  it  before  you  guess  it  is 
there." 


Pholo.,  y.  S.  Cal/ord, 


Orleans  House. 


lla}jip:oil  ti'icJk, 


TWICKENHAM. 


C  /jJ^-Ki/ffiy'/i't'  //c'ft'p/ 1 


w/ cj< i:.\  ii.iM  ■ 
xML i-»l 


Many  changes  have  from  time  to  time  been 
introduced  at  Ham  House,  but  it  still  retains 
its  old  character,  and  the  "  pillared  dusk  "  of 
its  long  avenues  and  its  stately  gardens  is  well 
in  keeping  with  the  venerable  structure.  To- 
wards the  river  the  house  presents  a  great 
fa9ade  of  many  windows,  with  projecting 
wings  and  quaint  bays  at  each  end.  Above 
the  ground  floor  level,  a  range  of  busts  in 
niches  adorns  the  structure,  and  the  busts  are 
continued  along  the  walls  which  run  from  the 
house  to  the  terrace  and  the  sunk  wall  that 
separates  the  gardens  from  the  meadows. 
The  back  of  the  house  is  still  more  weird, 
where  a  long  avenue  stretches  nearly  a  mile 
towards  Ham  Common.  Within,  the  favoured 
visitor  finds  a  treasure-house  of  Jacobean  art ; 
and  the  splendid  galleried  hall,  paved  with 
black  and  white  marble,  the  stately  staircase, 
thetapestriedCabal  Chamber,  afterwards  called 
the  Queen's  Audience  Chamber,  the  Blue  and 
Silver  Room,  the  Duchess  of  Lauderdale's  suite, 
where  her  armchair,  writing-desk,  cane,  and 
other  articles  of  personal  use  remain,  the  rich 
Drawing  Room,  the  Chapel,  the  Long  Gallery 
lined  with  dim  portraits,  the  famous  Tapestry 
Room,  the  Library,  with  its  rare  treasures,  and 
other  apartments  of  the  historic  house,  will 
delight  and  impress  him  with  unfamiliar 
charm. 

Petersham  Church  stands  not  far  away, 
quaint  and  attractive,  with  some  eccentricity. 
It  possesses  many  interesting  tombs  and 
memorials,  among  which  will  be  discovered  the 
stone  of  Mary  and  Agnes  Berry,  the  "  Elder- 
berries "  of  Walpole,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  his  garrulous  reminiscences  and  much  of 
his  correspondence,  and  a  memorial  of  Van- 
couver, the  famous  circumnavigator.  It  is  a 
pleasant,  sunny  place  between  the  Common 


and  the  river,  lying  low,  but  open  to  every 
breeze  that  blows.  At  Petersham  manj- 
well-known  men  have  lived,  and  unhappy 
Colton,  author  of  "  Lacon,"  the  man  of  pithy 
wisdom  not  stretched  wide  enough,  was  once 
its  vicar. 

Twickenham,  Walpole's  Bai^e,  or  Tivoli, 
lies  opposite,  stretched  along  the  elevated 
Middlesex  bank  of  the  Thames,  and  for  ever 
famous  in  our  literary  history.  We  might 
dwell  long  upon  the  memories  of  the  writers 
and  "  people  of  quality  "  who  have  chosen 
this  place  for  their  retreat.  Below  Richmond 
Bridge  the  village  of  Twickenham  Park  stands 
upon  the  site  of  a  domain  associated  with  a  long 
line  of  celebrated  people,  from  Francis  Bacon 
downward.  Above  it,  in  lovely  grounds,  is 
Cambridge  House,  so  named  from  Richard 
Owen  Cambridge,  "  the  everything,"  who 
there  entertained  Reynolds,  Gibbon,  Johnson, 
Boswell,  and  other  celebrities  of  the  time. 
Marble  Hill  is  near  by,  conspicuous  from  the 
river,  a  house  built  by  George  IL  for  Mrs. 
Howard,  his  mistress,  Pope's  "  Chloe,"  after- 
wards Countess  of  Suffolk,  whereof  Swift  said 
that  "  Mr.  Pope  was  the  contriver  of  the 
gardens.  Lord  Herbert  the  architect,  and  the 
Dean  of  St.  Patrick's  (himself)  chief  butler  and 
keeper  of  the  ice-house."  Here  dwelt  later  on 
beautiful  Mrs.  Fitzherbert,  the  illegally  married 
wife  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards 
George  IV.,  and  it  will  not  be  forgotten  that  she 
was  living  at  Marble  Hill  when  he  was  married 
to  the  Princess  Caroline.  Such  was  the  shattered 
romance  of  the  "  Lass  of  Richmond  Hill." 

Her  home  has  a  stately  neighbour  in  Orleans 
House,  long  associated  with  the  fortunes  of  the 
royal  family  of  France,  and  a  place  that 
seemed  to  Defoe  to  make  "much  the  brightest 
figure"     in      Twickenham.      The     imposing 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


pass  1  n 
beauty  of  ils 
gardens, 
where  glowing  flov\er-beds  bestiid  green 
stretclies  of  lawn,  which  are  enframed  by 
secluded  belts  of  luxuriant  foliage,  chosen 
with  a  rare  eye  to  the  effects  of  varied 
colour,  make  this  one  of  the  most  charming 
houses  by  the  Thames.  Built  in  the  reign 
of  Anne-  by  Mr.  Secretary  Johnstone,  whom 
Pope  bitterly  satirizes,  it  passed  through 
many  hands  before  it  became  the  chosen 
retreat  of  Louis  Philippe,  Due  d'Orleans,  and 
his  brothers,  the  Due  de  Montpensier  and  the 
Comte  de  Beaujolais.  The  Duke  was  very 
popular  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  long  after- 
wards, an  exiled  king,  he  yearned  for 
possession  of  the  place  once  more.  Having 
purchased  it  from  Lord  Kilmorey,  he  there 
installed  his  son,  the  Due  d'Aumale,  who 
greatly  improved  and  beautified  the  house. 
Don  Carlos,  the  claimant  of  the  Spanish 
crown,  afterwards  made  it  his  residence,  and  the 
house  then  became  the  home  of  the  Orleans 
Club.  The  love  of  the  Orleans  princes  for 
Twickenham  attracted  a  host  of  their  adherents 
to  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  and  the  heads  of 
the  great  French  houses,  in  former  times,  often 
visited  these  delightful  scenes.  York  House, 
standing  east  of  Twickenham  Church  —  the 
birth-place  of  Queen  Anne,  and  deriving  its 
name  from  her  father — will  always  be  associated 
with  the  long  residence  thereof  the  late  Comte 
de  Paris. 

It  has  lately  been  purchased  by  the 
Due  d'Aumale  for  presentation  to  his  young 
kinsman,  the  Due  d'Orleans. 


Hautptan   IJic&. 

But  the  presiding  genius  of  Twickenham  is 
Pope,  who  has  given  it  classic  fame.  The 
picturesque,  if  somewhat  incongruous  house, 
so  familiar  to  all  frequenters  of  the  Thames, 
now  known  as  "Pope's  Villa,"  is  not  that  in 
which  he  dwelt.  He  took  the  villa,  or 
"  villakin,"  about  1717,  when  the  publica- 
tion of  the  "Iliad"  had  begun,  and  lived 
there  till  his  death  in  1744,  happy  between 
his  writing  table  and  his  garden,  and  in  the 
society  of  his  many  friends.  It  was  at  Twicken- 
ham that  he  perfected  his  classic  and  polished 
style,  and  thence  that  issued  the  wealth  of  his 
epigrammatic  and  scathing  wit.  Amid  ihe 
good  offices  of  his  friends,  as  he  tells  us  in  the 
preface  of  his  "  Homer,"  he  could  hardly 
envy  the  pompous  honours  his  original 
received  after  death,  when  he  reflected  on  the 
enjoyment  of  "  so  many  agreeable  obligations, 
and  easy  friendships "  which  made  the 
satisfaction  of  his  life.  The  place  of  Pope  in 
the  history  of  landscape  gardening  is  con- 
siderable, for  it  was  he  who  broke  tlirough  the 
formal  Dutch  style,  and  contributed  to  shape 
the  taste  of  Kent.  His  house  was  upon  the 
Teddington  road,  and  between  its  garden 
front  and  the  river,  whence  was  a  charming 
view  of  Eel  Pie  Island  and  Ham  Walks,  he 
laboured  upon  fixed  principles,  applying  the 
methods  of  pictorial  art  to  the  practical  ex- 
pression of  liis  conception  of  Nature  as  it 
should  be  shaped  under  the  gardener's  hand. 
Bridgman  and  Kent  were  his  helpers,  with  the 
great  Lord  Peterborough  and  other  amateurs. 

"  And  he  whose  lightning  pierc'd  th'  Iberian  lines, 
Now  forms  my  quincunx,  and  now  ranks  my  vines; 
Or  tames  the  genius  of  the  stubborn  plain, 
Almost  as  quickly  as  he  conquer'd  Spain." 

The  poet's  larger  efforts,  however,  were  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Teddington  road,  where 


TEDDINGTON. 


9 


he  had  a  garden ;  and  the  famous  grotto,  which 
he  spent  his  declining  years  in  beautifying — 

Th'  Egerian  grot 
Where,  nobiy-pensive,  St.  John  sate  and  thought — 

was  the  way  of  communication  beneath  the 
road.  He  lived  to  complete  his  labour  of  love, 
and  to  feel  "at  a  loss  for  the  diversion  he 
used  to  take  in  laying  out  and  finishing 
things."  One  of  the  versifiers  whose  effusions 
were  collected  by  Dodsley  fondly  imagined 
that,  even  when  the  sable  cloak  of  oblivion 
should  have  enshrouded  the  names  of  kings 
and  heroes,  visitors  to  the  Thames,  "with 
awful  veneration,"  would  seek  the  grotto, 
but,  with  eager  hands,  and  almost  Trans- 
atlantic zeal,  would  "pilfer"  some  gem  or 
fragment  of  moss,  "  boasting  a  relic  from  the 
cave  of  Pope."  But,  alas  !  while  the  poet's 
memory  was  still  in  its  freshest  greenness, 
his  creation  was  wasted,  and  his  grotto 
speedily  fell  from  the  radiance  of  its  splendour 
to  the  state  of  a  dark  and  dismal  tunnel.  After 
the  death  of  Pope,  it  was  a  private  woe  to 
Walpole  that  the  Earl  of  Chesterfield's 
brother  bought  the  villa,  and  hacked  and 
hewed  the  groves  the  Poet  had  so  care- 
fully tended.  Further  distress  fell  upon 
many  when  Baroness  Howe,  the  famous 
admiral's  daughter,  devastated  his  quincunx, 
and  pulled  down  his  dwelling-place  to  build 
another  at  a  little  distance,  which,  in  its  turn, 
was  replaced  by  the  present  house,  standing 
nearer  the  site  of  the  original  villa. 

Horace  Walpole,  who  loved  more  than  any 
other  place  in  tlie  world 

"  Twit'nam,  the  Muse's  favorite  seat," 

spent  his  life  in  building  and  adorning  his 
fantastic    house    of     Strawberry    Hill.      The 


.  fascinating  gossiper,  without  whose  tattling 
even  Twickenham  itself  might  be  dull,  delighted 
in  creating  bit  by  bit  his  "fantastic  fabric," 
his  "  romance  in  lath  and  plaster,"  his  "  paste- 
board walls,"  and  "mimictowers,"  which  were 
a  quarter  of  a  centjury  in  hand.  England  was 
searched  for  examples  of  doors,  windows,  and 
other  details;  frowning  battlements  looked 
down  upon  bay  windows ;  Tudor  oriels 
shouldered  Norman  turrets  ;  and  untramelled 
imagination  was  allowed  free  play  in  archi- 
tectural drollery.  Within,  the  refectory,  the 
gallery  with  splendid  fan  tracery,  "taken 
from  one  of  the  side  aisles  of  Henry  Vll.'s 
chapel,"  the  library,  the  Holbein  chamber,  the 
tribune,  tne  Beauclerc  closet,  the  yellow  bed- 
room, or  beauty  chamber,  and  various  parlours, 
drawing-rooms  and  other  apartments,  were 
stored  with  a  vast  and  curious  collection  of 
pictures,  statuary,  miniatures,  enamels,  rings, 
gems,  snuff-boxes,  works  in  gold,  silver  and 
bronze,  such  as  lamps,  candlesticks  and 
daggers,  and  a  crowd  of  nameless  bric-a-brac 
objects.  Truly,  such  a  house  and  such  a 
collection  never  existed  before ;  and,  much  as 
we  may  laugh  at  Walpole,  it  must  be  confessed 
that  his  fantastic  taste  gained  a  ceriain  vogue, 
and  contributed  later  to  break  our  allegiance  to 
formal  classicism.  At  Strawberry  Hill,  Walpole 
was  visited  by  countless  celebrities,  and  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Damer,  to  whom  he  left  the  house 
for  her  life,  maintained  the  fame  it  had 
attracted.  Afterwards  it  was  neglected  and 
its  contents  dispersed,  but,  by  the  care  of 
Frances,  Countess  Waldegrave,  it  was  restored, 
and  became  once  again  almost  Walpole's 
Strawberry  Hill.  Between  the  famous  houses 
of  Pope  and  Walpole  lay  another,  which  was 
familiar  to  both.    It  was  in  the  garden  of  the 


PJurU.,  y.  S.  Cal/ord, 


Teddington  Lock. 


Ham^itoH  U''icJi, 


lO 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


Earl  of  Radnor,  at  Radnor  House,  that  Pope 
met  Warburton  ;  to  the  readers  of  Walpole's 
letters  the  house  is  familiar  as  "  Mabland,"  for 
it  was  almost  as  fantastic  as  his  own.  it  stands 
no  longer  as  he  saw  it,  but  is  one  of  the  most 
pleasantly  situated  and  best  known  mansions 
on  the  Thames. 

We  must  not  linger  amid  the  famous  houses 
af  the  neighbourhood  that  overlook  the  river 
at  Twickenham.  Yet  there  is  scarcely  one 
among  them  about  which  something  romantic 
or  interesting  could  not  be  said.  Richmond 
House,  Poulet  Lodge,  Saville  House,  Meadow- 
bank,  Spencer  Grove,  the  Manor  House — 
the  names  of  these  and  many  more  awake 
interesting  literary  or  social  recollections.  The 
memories  of  many  who  loved  the  place  are 
enshrined  in  the  quaint,  curious,  and  very 
incongruous  church,  where  the  graves  of  Pope, 
Kneller,  Kitty  Clive,  Admirals  Sir  Chaloner 
Ogle  and  Byron,  and  many  other  celebrities 
may  be  visited.  So  it  is  that  Twickenham  will 
ever  live  in  our  literary  and  social  history,  and 
we  may  smile  to  think  of  the  dilemma  of  its 
historian,  who,  after  the  strictest  enquiry, 
could    not   find    that   anything  had   been  dis- 


Pnoltts.,  J.  S.  Cat/ord, 


"The.  Coronation  Stone. 


Kingston  Bridge. 

covered,  any  remains  of  antiquity  been  found, 
that  anything  remarkable  had  happened,  that 
any  synod,  parliament,  or  other  meeting,  civil 
or  religious,  had  ever  been  held  within  its 
parochial  bounds. 

Between  Pope's  Villa  and  Eel  Pie  Island  is  a 
well-known  fishing  deep.  Thence  to  Hampton 
Court  the  way  of  the  Thames  is  a  long 
S-shaped  curve,  which  has  the  level  length  of 
Ham  fields  within  its  northern  semicircle,  and 
Bushey  Park  in  that  to  the  south.  AtTeddington, 
a  mile  south  of  the  island,  we  bid  farewell  to 
the  tidal  Thames.  Somewhat  feebly  the  tide 
flows  below,  and  the  lock,  well-known  to  all 
boatmen  on  the  river,  and  the  long  weir, 
check  it  altogether.  Here,  then,  the  life  of 
the  locks  begins.  All  know  the  deep  green 
coolness  in  the  summer  time,  the  bubbling  and 
eddying  of  the  water  when  the  sluices  are 
drawn,  the  dancing  of  the  skiffs,  the  shouts 
of  the  brown-armed  oarsmen,  the  rippling 
laughter  from  pretty  lips,  the 
gaiety  of  costume,  the  witty 
sallies  and  merry  rejoinders, 
all  the  sights  and  sounds  of 
the  locks  of  the  Thames. 
Places  more  rustic  and  more 
garlanded  with  flowers,  in 
quieter  reaches,  our  upward 
journeying  will  bring  us  to; 
but  the  life,  the  spirit,  and  the 
brightness  of  the  river,  ere  it 
ceases  tobethethronginghigh- 
way  of  holiday-making 
London  humanity,  cannot  be 
seen  better  than  where  the 
crowded  skiffs  are  being  urged 
forward  into  Teddington  lock. 
There  is  rowdyism  in  the 
locks  sometimes,  and  every 
lock  means  delay,  but  there 
is  need  for  breaks  and  rests 
tf.,n^,.^  m,i.     in  the  pulling,  and  it   is  the 


KINGSTON. 


rholc,  3.   <:.  Cal/ori. 


Surbiton  (Kingston  Regatta), 


llamptcn  li'ii.i. 


locks  that  have  made  navigable  the  Upper 
Thames.  The  fishing  is  good  at  Teddington, 
though  there  is  no  great  fishing  deep.  Of 
Teddington  itself,  little  need  be  said.  From  an 
old  village  of  quaint  and  straggling  character, 
with  many  tine  houses,  of  which  some  have 
disappeared,  it  has  grown  into  a  popular 
suburb  in  a  pleasant  situation  upon  the  river. 
its  old  church  is  interesting  chiefly  for  its 
monuments,  among  which  that  of  Peg 
Woftmgton  may  be  noticed. 

And  now  the  river,  which  has  lost  something 
on  its  charm  after  leaving  Twickenham,  gains 
few  character,  and  umbrageous  stretches  of 
neighbouring  country  appear  as  we  approach 
the  wooded  beauties  of  Bushey.  The  ancient 
town  of  Kingston  lies  in  the  heart  of  a  most 
charming  country,  on  the  Surrey  side,  a  mile 
and-a-half  above  Teddington.  The  place  has 
long  been  of  high  importance,  and  has  one 
of  the  oldest  bridges  on  the  Thames.  It  is  a 
pleasant  town,  with  broad  market-place,  in 
the  midst  of  which  stands  the  Town  Hall,  a 
good  Italian  structure,  erected  in  1840.  Near 
by,  upon  an  inscribed  basement  with  carved 
surrounding  pillars  and  ornamental  railing,  is 
the  celebrated  coronation  stone,  from  which, 
as  many  have  averred,  the  place  took  its 
name,  and  whereof  the  chroniclers  record  that 
it  was  the  regal  seat  at  the  coronation  of 
Athelstan,  924;  Edmund,  940;  Edred,  946; 
Edgar,    959;     Edward     the      Martyr,     975; 


Ethelred  11.,  978;  and  Edmund  11.,  1016. 
Some  historians  add  other  names.  The  high 
importance  of  the  town  is  thus  testified. 
Lying  upon  the  old  road  to  Portsmouth,  and 
tliere  being  no  bridge  across  the  Thames 
between  Kingston  and  London  Bridge,  the 
place  had  a  constant  stream  of  famous  visitors, 
and  was  the  scene  of  some  stirring  events  in 
the  Middle  Ages.  Some  have  contended  that 
it  was  here— others  at  Cowey  Stakes,  higher 
up— that  Cssar  and  his  legionaries  forded  the 
Thames  to  engage  the  forces  of  Cassivelaunus. 
The  town  received  its  charter  from  John,  and 
here  Henry  111.  besieged  the  castle— now 
altogether  lost— of  Gilbert  Clare,  Earl  of 
Gloucester.  The  wooden  bridge  was  probably 
often  broken  in  times  of  public  trouble.  This 
was  the  case  when  Falconbridge  sought  vainly 
to  pass  the  Thames  in  pursuit  of  Edward  IV. 
in  1472.  It  was  the  case  again  in  1554,  when 
Wyatt,  finding  London  Bridge  closed  against 
him,  marched  to  Kingston.  He  seized  boats 
and  barges,  repaired  the  bridge,  dispersed 
those  who  resisted  his  passage,  and  marched  on 
London  and  to  the  scaffold.  In  the  Civil  Wars, 
too,  Kingston  was  the  scene  of  much  fighting, 
being  held  alternately  for  the  King  and  the 
Parliament.  The  last  fight  for  Charles  was  at 
Kingston,  where  Lord  Holland  was  defeated 
and  captured,  and  Lord  Francis  Villiers,  refus- 
ing to  accept  quarter,  fell  fighting  with  his 
back    to    a    tree.      These   are  some    of    the 


THE   THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


associations  of  the  pleasant,  interesting,  and 
hospitable  town  of  Kingston-upon-Thames. 

The  good  people  of  Kingston  long  held  to 
old  customs,  and  retained  a  rustic  simplicity  of 
manners.  They  delighted,  as  their  old  church- 
wardens' accounts  show,  in  mystery-plays,  and 
it  was  not  until  the  end  of  the  last  century  that 
their  curious  practice  of  cracking  nuts  through- 
out the  service  in  church  on  the  Sunday  before 
Michaelmas  day — which  they  called  "  Crack- 
nut  Sunday  " — was  put  a  stop  to. 

The  Kingston  "Ball-play"  at  Shrovetide, 
though  degenerate,  is  celebrated.  It  is  a  species 
of  football,  once  played  with  municipal  honours, 
and  the  ball,  which  the  Mayor  was  wont  to 
start,  is  said  to  represent  the  head  of  a  Danish 
chief  defeated  long  ago  by  the  Kingston  men. 
The  large  cruciform  church,  too,  built  of  flint, 
stone,  and  hard  chalk,  with  its  broad  central 
tower — unworthy  successor  of  one  destroyed 
by  lightning  in  1703-  its  perpendicular  nave, 
and  its  many  interesting  monuments,  may  well 
detain  the  wayfarer  awhile.  The  bridge,  of  five 
principal  arches,  one  of  the  handsomest  on  the 
Thames,  over  which  the  road  passes  to  Hampton 
Wick,  with  branches  thence  to  Twickenham  and 
Hampton  Court,  replaced  a  wooden  structure, 
and  was  opened  in  1828.  The  Kingston  regatta 
is  a  very  popular  event  on  the  river. 

It  is  not  surprising,  in  this  fascinating  neigh- 
bourhood, with  the  heaths  and  woods  of  Surrey 
on  one  ham",  and  the  river  and  the  rare  beauties 
of  Hampton  Court  Palace  and  Bushey  Park  on 
the  other,  that  Norbiton  and  Surbiton  should  have 
become  popular  residential  places,  nor  that 
Thames  Ditton,  by  the  bend  of  the  stream ,  should 


be  a  favourite  resort,  full  of  delights,  lar-famed 
among  anglers.  The  place  has  two  well-known 
deeps,  and  the  reader  will  like  to  be  reminded  of 
Leigh  Hunt's  "  Lines  in  a  Punt,"  proclaiming 
the  many  things  that  "  invite  to  stay  at  Ditton." 

"  Here  lawyers  free  from  legal  loils, 
And  peers  released  from  duty, 
Enjoy  at  once  kind  Nature's  smiles, 
And  eke  the  smiles  of  beauty." 

In  this  neighbourhood  are  supremely  beautiful 
views  both  up  and  down  the  river,  and  the 
prospects  from  the  elevations  near  are  superb. 
Hereabout,  too,  is  regal  ground,  where  the 
memories  of  princes,  prelates,  and  statesmen 
linger,  and  here  the  Thames  unfolds  some  of 
its  choicest  beauties  of  meadow  and  wood. 
We  shall  pause  in  our  journeying  at  the  bridge 
at  Hampton  Court,  by  the  hospitable  "Mitre." 
The  bridge,  a  structure  that  disfigures  the 
stream,  is  the  successor  of  others  more 
picturesque,  and  of  one  more  curious.  Truly 
a  famous  resort  is  this  for  fishermen  and 
boating  parties,  for  those  who  love  to  ply  the 
line  and  pull  the  oar,  to  lie  in  the  summer 
sunshine  where  the  green  bank  casts  its 
shadow,  who  delight  to  journey  by  coach  or 
cycle  along  the  road,  who  revel  in  courtly 
scenes,  stately  pleasure  chambers,  long  galleries 
and  pillared  avenues,  in  ancient  gardens, 
and  in  places  where  venerable  vines  are 
fruiting,  where  chestnuts  show  their  richest 
bloom,  and  beech-nuts  and  acorns  lie  thick 
in  the  autumn.  All  these,  and  many  more 
who  find  their  spell  in  natural  beauties  and 
historic  memories,  delight  to  rest  from  their 
journeying  for  awhile  at  Hampton  Court. 


Hampton  Court  Bridge. 


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T  has  been  remarked  more  than  once 
that  the  right  royal  road  to  Hampton 
Court  is  by  the  way  of  the  silent 
Thames.  It  was  the  way  that  Wolsey 
traversed,  propelled  by  the  strong  arms 
of  stout  bargemen,  when  he  went  to  and 
fro  between  Westminster  and  his  stately  palace 
newly  reared,  the  way  that  ambassadors  and 
courtiers  came  to  his  council ;  and  to-day  there 
are  few  greater  delights  of  the  Thames  than  to 
reach  Hampton  Court  by  the  river— to  see  it, 
first  of  all,  lifting  its  crimsoned  walls  amid  the 
elms,  and,  approaching  from  the  bridge,  to  let 
its  surpassing  charms  and  marvellous  interests 
successively  unfold,  as  they  have  unfolded 
from  Wolsey's  day  to  ours.  In  those  times 
the  great  and  hospitable  Cardinal  walked 
apart  from  those  who  would  have  intruded 
upon  his  much-needed  privacy,  and  was  "lofty 
and  sour  to  those  that  loved  him  not;"  but,  in 
these,  through  the  gracious  favour  of  the 
Queen,  the  Palace  is  open  to  every  comer, 
before  whom  it  stands  as  the  true  exemplar  of 
Tudor  splendour,  of  the  pride  of  Stuart  times, 
and  of  the  gaiety  and  new  ideals  of  William, 
Anne,  and  the  Georges. 

This,  indeed,  we  feel  as  we  enter  beneath 
the  archway,  is  the  home  of  the  great  cleric 
who  entered  before  us  upon  his  mule,  who 
grasped  the  helm  of  our  statecraft,  and  guided 
England  through  the  tortuous  channels  and 
amid  the  hidden  shallows  of  European  diplo- 
macy, whose  pride  was  the  pride  of  his  country, 
who   worked  with  marvellous  energy  at  the 


creation  of  the  house  we  behold,  and  who  gave 
up  all  to  his  grasping,  heartless  master,  to  be 
abandoned  in  his  falling  age.  And  so,  a  little 
sadly,  we  think  at  Hampton  Court  of  Henry. 
We  cannot  forget  that  Katharine  sat  here 
with  her  handmaidens,  while  he  dallied  with 
Anne  Boleyn  in  the  garden  bowers.  There  are 
traces  at  Hampton  Court  of  her  downfall,  for 
her  badges  have  been  erased,  save  that  the 
men  forgot,  and  left,  an  "H"  and  an  "A," 
intertwined  with  a  true  lover's  knot,  under  the 
arch  beneath  which  we  pass  to  the  sacred 
court.  Then  we  think  of  Jane  Seymour's 
untimely  death  and  unquiet  spirit,  and  of  her 
infant  son  being  here,  whose  nurse.  Mistress 
Penn,  too,  they  say,  still  walks  the  corridors, 
the  very  figure  of  that  strange  archaic  effigy 
of  her  which  lies  in  Hampton  Church.  Next  we 
seem  to  hear  the  piercing  shriek  of  Katharine 
Howard,  who  escapes  from  her  rooms,  and 
yet  flies  in  agony  down  the  Haunted  Gallery 
at  night  to  solicit  the  clemency  of  Henry,  who 
sits  unmoved  at  his  prayers  in  the  Chapel.  In 
tills  changing  story  of  Hampton  Court  we  find 
Mary  spending  her  honeymoon  with  Philip  of 
Spain,  Elizabeth  with  her  maidens,  James  I. 
ponderously  debating  with  English  and  Scotch 
divines,  Charles  1.  escaping  from  the  super- 
vision of  Colonel  Whalley,  his  son  holding  high 
state  with  Katharine  of  Braganza,  William  111. 
working  his  changes,  and  Mary  plying  her 
needle  in  her  bowers,  George  11.  making  love 
to  Mrs.  Howard  and  Mary  Bellenden,  and  here, 
too,  the  statesmen,  soldiers,  wits,  and  beauties 
of  former  times. 

So  much,  then,  may  serve  to  suggest  how 
profound    and    various    are    the    interests   of 


?6 


THE  THAMES  ILLUSTRATED 


Photo.,  ?.  ^.  Cal/ord. 


Hampton  Court,  from  the  West. 


Hampton  H'ick. 


Hampton  Court.  When  Wolsey  turned  for 
relaxation  from  the  cares  of  statecraft,  he 
worked  with  characteristic  power  at  the  crea- 
tion of  his  Palace.  Men  skilled  in  every  craft, 
workers  in  stone,  brick  and  terra-cotta,  smiths, 
glass  stainers,  carpenters,  gardeners  and  wood- 
men were  broughtin  crowds.  As  Cavendish  says: 

"  Expertest  artificers  that  were  both  farre  and  nere, 
To  beautyfie  my  hovvssys  I  had  them  at  my  will." 

Drainage  works  were  carried  out  that  stood 
300  years,  and  water  was  brought  in  leaden 
pipes  from  Coombe  Hill,  some  distance  away. 
Europe  was  ransacked  for  its  treasures,  and 
glorious  tapestries  covered  the  walls.  "  One 
has  to  traverse  8  rooms,"  says  Giustiniani,  the 
Venetian  Ambassador,  "  before  one  reaches  his 
audience  chamber,  and  they  are  all  hung  with 
tapestry,  which  is  changed  once  a  week." 

The  west  front  is  almost  wholly  his  work.    It 
is  of  brick,  richly  coloured  and  variegated,  with 


Photc.  7  S.  Catrord, 


The  East  Front. 


stone  dressings,  and,  with  its  two  wings,  ex- 
tends some  400  feet  from  north  to  south.  The 
muUioned  Vk'indows,  the  beautiful  oriel  over  the 
arch  and  perforated  parapet,  the  embattled 
walls,  pinnacles  and  fretted  chimneys,  and  the 
turrets,  now  shorn  of  their  leaden  cupolas, 
betoken  the  general  character  of  the  building 
within.  The  medallions  of  Roman  emperors 
in  the  turrets  belong  to  a  set  whicii  were 
specially  executed  for  Wolsey  by  an  Italian 
named  Giovanni  Maiano.  Passing  through  the 
archway,  we  are  in  the  First  or  Base  Court, 
which  has  an  area  of  167  feet  by  142  feet,  and 
is  a  deliglitful  example  of  the  architecture  of  the 
time.  The  purple-red  walls,  witii  interiacings 
of  grey  brick,  are  broken  by  charming  mul- 
lioned  windows,  and  projecting  chimney  stacks, 
crowned  with  their  beautifully  worked  columns. 
The  buildings  are  of  two  stories,  except  on 
the  east,  where  there  is  a  double-turreted 
frontage  in  three  stages,  with  the  oriel  in  the 
ClockTower,  and  "Anne 
Boleyn's  Gateway"  be- 
low, leading  through  to 
the  Second  or  Clock 
Court.  The  noble  west 
front  of  the  Great  Hall, 
with  its  splendid  win- 
dows and  curiously- 
shaped  gable,  rises  im- 
pressively behind.  The 
three  -  light  muUioned 
windows  on  the  north 
and  south  sides  of  this 
Court  lighted  the  gal- 
leries which,  in  the 
Cardinal's  time,  gave 
access  to  his  "  double 
lodgings,"  or  guest 
chambers,  a  large  one 
and  a  small  one  being 
linked  together  in  each 
Hamttonwick.      case.    Strangely  do 


ibA 


HAMPTON  COURT. 


these  buildings  contrast  with 
the  later  structure  of  Wren. 
In  the  long  galleries  of  his 
house,  and  in  the  green 
alleys  and  old  Pond  Garden 
on  the  south  side,  by  which 
countless  thousands  hasten 
thoughtlessly  to  see  the 
famous  vine,  it  was  the 
delight  of  the  Cardinal  to 
pace  in  retirement  and  con- 
templation. Thus,  says 
Cavendish,  in  his  metrical 
picture : 

"  My  galleries  were  fayre, 

both  large  and  long, 

To  walk  in  them  when  it 

lyked  me  best." 

These  would  seem  indeed  to 
have  been  the  very  home 
of  cloistered  calm,  and  it  is 
delightful  yet  to  feel  their 
reposeful  sway.  Here  the 
guests  of  Wolsey  were  com- 
fortably housed,  and  the 
corridors  gave  easy  access 
to  the  Great  Hall,  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  that 
which  now  rises  beyond. 
We  can  yet  conjure  up  the 
picture  of  the  bustling  to 
and  fro  when  the  French 
Ambassador  came  for  the 
peace-making.  "  The  yeo- 
men and  grooms  of  the 
Wardrobe," says  Cavendish 
"  were  busied  in  iianging  of 
the  chambers  with  costly  p^wn..  7.  s.  ca'/«,d. 
hangings,  and  furnishing 
the  same  with  beds  of  silk,  and  other  fur- 
niture apt  for  the  same  in  every  degree. 
Then  my  Lord  Cardinal  sent  me,  being  gentle- 
man usher,  with  two  other  of  my  fellows,  to 
Hampton  Court,  to  foresee  all  things  touching 
our  rooms,  to  be  nobly  furnished  accordingly. 
Then  the  carpenters,  the  joiners,  the  masons, 
the  painters,  and  all  other  artificers  necessary 
to  glorify  the  house  and  feast  were  set  at 
work.  There  were  also  fourteen  score  beds 
provided  and  furnished  with  all  manner  of 
furniture  to  them  belonging,  too  long  particu- 
larly here  to  relate." 

The  domestic  offices  and  quarters  of  the 
household  occupied  a  long  range  of  buildings 
lying  on  the  north  side  of  the  First  Court,  and 
of  the  Great  Hall,  the  Great  Watching  Cham- 
ber and  the  Round  Kitchen  Court  beyond. 
Comparatively  few  visitors  to  Hampton  Court 
know  how  picturesque  in  outline  and  rich  in 
colour  are  the  venerable  ivy-grown  walls  of  the 
buildings  which  flank  Tennis  Court  Lane,  and 
surround  the  Master  Carpenter's  Court  and 
Fish  Court  on  that  side  of  the  Palace.     All 


Ths  Great  Hall,  looking  We:!. 


Hampton  \yick. 


these  chambers  were  well  filled  with  good  and 
merry  company,  we  know,  for  Wolsey  had  500 
retainers  at  his  open  table,  80  domestic  and 
100  other  servants,  and  1 50  horses  in  his  stable, 
as  well  as  60  priests,  and  a  choir  of  40,  witii 
many  others  in  his  train.  Some  reference 
will  presently  be  made  to  other  of  Wolsey's 
chambers  in  various  parts  of  the  Palace. 
It  was  the  display  of  the  Cardinal's  mag- 
nificence that  raised  the  spleen  of  Skelton, 
his  bitter  satirist,  who  demanded:  "Why 
come  ye  not  to  court .''  To  whyche  court .'' 
To  the  Kynge's  courte  or  to  Hampton 
Court.?" 

But  this  digression  leaves  us  standing  in  the 
First  Court,  before  the  Clock  Tower,  and  Anne 
Boleyn's  Gateway,  which  leads  to  the  second. 
Beneath  the  beautiful  fan-groining  of  the  arch 
is  the  entrance  to  the  Great  Hall  on  the  left. 
This  noble  structure  forms  the  north  side  of 
the  Second  or  Clock  Court,  and  externally  is 
very  inipressive,  with  many  buttresses,  and 
grotesque  lions  sitting  onjheir  lofty  pinnacles, 
as  well  as  turrets  and  glorious  windows,  and  a 


28 


THE   THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Phol4.  y.  S.  Cat/ord, 


The  King's  Guard  Chamber. 


HaDtptoil  Hick.. 


truly  magnificent  bay.  Internally  the  glories 
of  the  Hail  are  shown  better  in  the  pictures 
tlian  they  can  be  described  in  words.  The 
hammer-beam  roof,  with  its  splendid  traceries 
and  carved  bosses,  is  the  most  elaborate  in 
England,  and  fortunately  is  well  lighted  by  the 
windows  in  the  gables.  Combined  with  the 
magnificent  windows,  filled  with  excellent 
modern  armorial  glass  by  Willement,  and  the 
glorious  tapestries  that  line  the  walls,  the 
effect  given  is  very  stril<ing.  The  eight 
huge  pieces  of  tapestry,  depicting  scenes  in  the 
life  of  Abraham,  are  admirable  examples  of 
Flemish  work  based  upon  Italian  designs,  and 
have  been  attributed  to  Rafaelle's  disciple, 
Bernard  van  Orley.  They  are  enriched  with 
allegorical  borders,  and  are  highly  interesting 
and  curious.  The  screen  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  hall,  shutting  off  the  entrance  lobby,  with 
the  minstrels'  gallery  over  it,  is  richly  carved  ; 
and  thenoble  feature  of  the  great  bay  window, 
rising  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  lighting  the 
dais  at  the  upper  end,  with  forty-eight  lights, 
and  delicate  tan-tracey  and  pendants  at  its 
head,  is  unsurpassed  in  this  country.  The 
length  of  the  great  chamber  is  io6  feet,  its  width 
40  feel,  and  its  height  60  feet. 

The  Hall  is  the  work  of  Henry  VIll.,  and 
VVolsey  never  saw  it.  When  the  covetous 
hand  of  the  King  had  been  set  upon  the  glorious 
house  of  his  minister,  he  set  to  work  to  alter  and 


complete  it.  Workmen  once  again  came  from 
every  quarter,  and  the  Great  Hall  rose  rapidly, 
with  new  kitchens,  "chawndry,"  "squillery," 
"spicery,"  "  accatry,"  and  other  offices.. 
One  of  the  great  kitchens  still  remains  as  of 
old,  presenting  a  most  picturesque  appearance- 
from  Tennis  Court  Lane,  and,  within,  possess- 
ing still  its  open  timber  roof,  its  huge  fireplaces,, 
18  feet  broad  and  7  feet  high,  where  oxen 
were  probably  roasted  whole,  and  its  ancient 
jacks,  spits  and  racks,  a  speaking  memorial 
of  the  plenteous  boards  of  former  times.  We- 
recall  how,  in  Wolsey's  days,  for  the  feasting  of 
the  Frenchmen,  "  the  purveyors  brought  and 
sent  in  such  plenty  of  costly  provision  as  ye 
would  wonder  at  the  same  ;  the  cooks  wrought, 
both  night  and  day  in  divers  subtleties  and 
many  crafty  devices ;  where  lacked  neither 
gold,  silver,  nor  any  other  costly  thing  meet 
for  the  purpose." 

Behind  the  Hall,  and  entered  from  the  dais, 
is  the  King's  Great  Watching  or  Presence 
Chamber,  sometimes  called  the  Withdrawing. 
Room,  a  splendid  apartment  seventy  feet  long, 
twenty-nine  feet  broad  and  about  twenty 
feet  high,  which  preserves  its  ancient  aspect: 
more  perfectly  than  any  other  in  the  Palace. 
It  has  an  elalwrate  flat  ceiling  of  intricate- 
design  with  Tudor  badges,  windows  high  in 
the  walls,  and  a  noble  oriel,  and  is  lined  with, 
supremely   interesting   early  tapestry,  known- 


HAMPTON  COURT. 


29 


Pliotn.,   J.    S,  Cal/ord, 


The  Fountain  Court. 


Hampton  tVUi. 


to  be  of  Wolsey's  time,  all  archaic  and 
beautiful.  Three  of  the  pieces  depicts  the 
"Triumphs'  of  Petrarch — those  of  Death, 
Fame  and  Time — while  others  are  allegories 
representing  the  Christian  virtues  and  ihe 
"Seven  Deadly  Sins."  The  "Triumphs" 
of  Chastity,  Love  and  Divinity  are  wanting  at 
Hampton  Court,  but  the  first  of  these  is  at 
South  Kensington.  These,  then,  are  the 
rooms  in  which  Henry  held  his  Court,  for  he 
often  retired  to  the  place  he  had  acquired  by 
the  Thames.  He  jousted  in  the  tilt  yard, 
angled  in  the  Thames,  and  strolled  in  the 
pleasant  gardens.  "  Anne  Bouillayne's  lodgy- 
nges "  are  mentioned  as  early  as  1528,  but 
her  apartments  in  the  south-east  part  of  tlie 
Palace  were  completing  when  she  fell.  Her 
badges  were  removed,  except  under  the  arch- 
way, and  Jane  Seymour  was  lodged  in  her 
stead,  and  in  the  part  of  Hampton  Court  which 
was  demolished  by  William  111.,  Edward  VI. 
was  born  and  nurtured.  They  say  the 
uneasy  spirit  of  his  mother,  clad  in  white, 
and  carrying  a  taper,  has  been  seen  to  issue 
from  beneath  the  arch  of  Katharine  of 
Aragon's  Door  in  the  Second  or  Clock  Court 
of  the  Palace. 

Into  that  court,  descending  from  the  Hall  by 
the  staircase,  we  now  enter  beneath  the  arch- 
way. It  is  still  the  court  of  Wolsey  and  of 
Henry,  though  Wolsey's  private  rooms  are 
concealed  in  part  by  the  Ionic  colonnade  which 
Wren  added  incongruously  on  the  south.   Many 


alterations  have  indeed  been  carried  out  here, 
both  in  the  time  of  William  III.  and  again  in 
1732,  but  there  is  pleasing  variety  about  the 
whole,  and  the  buttresses,  windows,  turrets, 
and  pillars  are  full  of  charm.     Wolsey's  rooms 


Photo.,  y.  S.  Cal/ord,  Hampltn  Wict. 

Ceuing,  Queen  Anne's  Drawing  Room, 


30 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


PhotC:,  y.  S.  Calford, 


The  Fireplace,  (^Mtf^?.  Gallery. 


between  the  southern  side  of  the  Court  and 
the  gardens  are  privately  occupied,  but  two  of 
them  still  preserve  his  elaborate  ceilings,  and 
others  are  panelled  with  the  beautiful  linen- 
fold  pattern.  On  the  northern  side  of  the 
Court,  the  pinnacled  buttresses,  noble  windows 
and  grand  bay  of  the  Great  Hall  are  very  fine, 
and  the  western  side  is  noticeable  for  the 
excellence  of  the  brickwork.  Here  are  two  of 
Maiano's  medallions — those  of  Vitellius  and 
Tiberius — and  between  them 
Cardinal's  arms,  supported 
with  hfs  motto,  "  Dominus 
terra-cotta,  doubtless  from 
The  astronomical  clock,  which 
very  remarkable,  object.     It 


may  be  seen  the 
by  cherubs,  and 
mihi  adjutor,"  in 
the  same  hand. 
is  above,  is  a 
was  placed  there 


by  Henry  about  the  year  1540,  and,  after 
remaining  in  its  place  some  300  years,  was 
temporarily  removed.  In  1879,  however,  it 
was  restored,  lost  movements  being  added  and 
new  works  being  furnished,  and  now  it  pre- 
sents the  very  aspect  it  had  in  Henry's  reign. 


The  dial  is  enframed  in  a  square, 
with  quatrefoils  at  the  angles 
inclosing  Tudor  badges.  To 
describe  the  arrangement  at 
length  is  impossible,  and  it  must 
suffice  to  say  that  there  are 
three  discs,  which  show  at  once 
the  hours,  days  of  the  month, 
motions  of  the  sun  and  moon, 
and  the  moon's  phases,  and 
that  the  action  of  the  clock  is 
not  continuous  by  movements 
at  each  second,  but  by  jumps 
forward  at  intervals  of  fifteen 
seconds.  The  curious  instru- 
ment has  been  attributed  to  a 
well-known  maker  of  the  time 
named  Tompion,  but  withgreater 
probability  to  Nicholas  Cratzer, 
a  German,  who  made  other 
clocks  of  like  character.  The 
eastern  side  of  the  Clock  Court 
has  a  turreted  frontage,  with  a 
dark  archway  in  the  middle,, 
which  leads  to  the  Queen's  Stair- 
case and  the  Chapel.  These 
will  be  referred  to  a  little  later 
on. 

It  is  well  to  remember,  then, 
that  in  passing  from  the  Second 
Court,  through  the  doorway  at 
the  end  of  Wren's  Colonnade, 
we  leave  behind  us  the  Palace 
of  the  Tudors.  Between  these 
two  architectural  aspects  of 
.  Hampton   Court  there  lies  the 

K' — S     historic  period  of  the   Stuarts, 

-^  '     the  presentation  of  the  Grand 

Re  nonstrance  at  the  Palace,  the 
iiampioH  Wick,  uight  of  Charles,  the  actions  of 
the  Civil  War,  the  sale  and  re- 
purchase of  the  place,  the  coming  of  Cromwell 
to  Hampton,  the  Restoration,  and  the  fall  of 
James  II.  Charlt-s  II.,  who  took  great  pleasure 
in  the  Palace,  did  much  to  beautify  it,  some- 
what for  the  gratification  of  Lady  Castlemaine, 
who  was  installed  there,  re-furnishing  the 
rooms,  and  improving  the  tennis-court  and 
gardens.  But  the  great  work  of  re-building  the 
south-eastern  angle  of  the  Palace,  where  for- 
merly old  apartments  surrounded  the  Cloister 
Green  Court,  and  another  was  carried  out  by 
Wren,  under  the  personal  orders  of  William  111., 
who  liked  the  place,  and  determined  to  make 
it  his  residence. 

The  work  went  on  energetically,  William 
and  Mary  living  meanwhile  in  the  Water 
Gallery,  overlooking  the  river,  he  going  to  and 
fro  on  business  of  war  and  statecraft ;  she 
plying  her  needle,  and  delighting  in  her  gardens, 
tending  her  orange  trees,  of  which  some  may 
still  be  seen  standing  in  the  summer  time  along 
the   walk   below   the   State   Apartments,   and 


HAMPTON  COURT. 


r''^''^i^'!^^T.',^'-7:-^;;'^'^*'f'?^'?^^'^***^'''  :''''" 


PHsto..  7.  5.  Cal/bru, 


The  Long  Water  and  Avenues  in  the  Home  Park. 


Ham^/sn  lyic*. 


walking  in  lier  wych-elm  Bower.  It  may  be 
said  of  Wren's  work  that  it  has  many  merits 
and  many  defects,  but,  perhaps,  these  latter 
may  be  attributed  to  the  conditions  in  which 
he  worked,  for  the  final  decision  upon  archi- 
tectural plans  and  structural  arrangements 
rested  with  William.  Incongruous  as  it  appears, 
the  graceful  Ionic  colonnade,  with  its  coupled 
columns  and  its  balustrade,  in  the  Clock  Court, 
is  probably  the  most  successful  part  ot  the 
whole.  Much  of  the  charm  of  the  new 
buildings  arises  from  the  use  of  red  brick  and 
stone,  which  give  a  certain  feeling,  rather 
than  aspect,  of  harmony  with  the  Tudor 
structure.  Beyond  this,  and  the  fact  that 
Wren's  buildings  are  grouped  round  a  court, 
they  have  nothing  in  common.  The  south 
front,  which  continues  eastward  the  old 
range  of  Wolsey's  Lodgings,  has  two  terminal 
bays,  slightly  projecting,  and  a  central  Corin- 
thian portice  raised  high  above  the  pavement, 
with  the  inscription  "  GVLIEMVS  ET  MaRIA. 
R.  R.  F."  (Rex  et  Regina  fecerunt).  The 
long  rows  of  upright  windows,  lunettes,  and 
square  windows  above  are  a  little  monotonous. 
A  similar  arrangement  is  found  on  the  east 
front,  but  there  the  central  compartment 
is  more  imposing,  though  spoiled  by  the 
fact  that  the  pediment  is  sunk  below  the 
balustrade.  Within,  the  Fountain  Court, 
with  its  cloistered  calm,  and  glassy  sheet 
reflecting  the  buildings  that  surround,  has 
very  distinct  charm. 

Mary  died  ere  the  work  was  completed,  and 
for  some  time  it  stood  still,  but  William 
resumed  it  with  customary  energy,  and  the 
best  artists  of  the  time  were  called  in  for  the 
adornment  of  the  new  structure.  Verrio  and 
Laguerre  adorned  the  ceilings  and  plaster 
spaces  as  they  were  wont  to  do,  Grinling 
Gibbons    worked    both    in    wood   and   stone. 


Gabriel  Gibber  and  many  more  were  employed 
in  ornamental  stone  carving,  and  unrivalled 
iron-workers  were  engaged.  The  character  of 
the  interior  is  at  once  revealed  on  ascending 
the  King's  Great  Staircase,  for  there,  as  Pope 
says : 

"  On  painted  ceilings  you  devoutly  stare 
Where  sprawl  the  saints  of  Verrio  and  Laguerre." 

The  description  applies  somewhat  better  to 
other  work  of  Verrio,  for  here  we  gaze  on  the 
Greek  Pantheon,  and  the  Muses,  with  a  host  of 
mythological  accompaniments.     There  is  some- 


Phoio.,  Byrfie, 


The  Chapel. 


32 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Photo.,  J.  5.  Cat/ord, 


The  South  Front. 


Hampton  Wick. 


thing  impressive  about  it,  but  the  huge  work  will 
not  stand  a  moment's  criticism,  and  we  pass  on 
to  the  Guard  Chamber,  which  is  wonderfully 
adorned  with  arms  for  decorative  effect,  the 
work  of  one  Harris,  who  did  like  work  at  the 
Tower.  The  most  remarkable  picture  in  the 
room  is  that  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  Giant  Porter, 
attributed  to  Zucchero,  and  for  the  rest,  there 
are  portraits  of  seamen  and  soldiers  -of  Stuart 
and  later  times,  by  Lely,  Kneller,  Brockman, 
and  others. 

We  presently  gain  a  long  vista  through  the 
suite  of  rooms,  and  look  out  over  the  beautiful 
private  gardens,  towards  the  river  and  the  hills 
of  Surrey.  William  Ill.'s  Presence  Chamber, 
which  is  next  entered, ,  has  much  beautiful 
carving  by  Gibbons,  the  canopy  of  the  King's 
throne,  and  on  its  walls,  among  many  interest- 
ing pictures,  a  series  by  Kneller  of  the  beauties 
of  his  Court.  There  is  no  purpose  here  of 
cataloguing  the  pictures,  but  it  may  be  noted 
that  the  Second  Presence  Chamber,  includes 
some  remarkable  Italian  pictures,  though  a 
few  of  them  of  somewhat  doubtful  authorship, 
ar.d  Vandyck's  "Charles  1.  on  Horseback" — 
one  of  -several  of  the  same  subject  which 
he  executed.  The  King's  Audience  Chamber, 
again,  has  a  crowd  of  interesting  and  beautiful 
pictures,  including  a  lovely  "Holy  Family" 
by  Palma  Vecchio.  The  chandelier  and  furni- 
ture are  original.  Passing  through  the  King's 
Drawing  Room  we  reach  King  William  Ill.'s 
State  Bedroom,  lined  with  Lely's  famous 
pictures  of  the  frail  Beauties  of  the  Court  of 
Charles II., including  the"most blessed  picture," 
a;  described  by  Pepys,  of  Lady  Castlemaine. 


Verrio  painted  the  ceiling  with  "  Day  and 
Night,"  and  the  great  State  Bed  is  that  of  Queen 
Charlotte,  from  Windsor.  The  ceiling  of  the 
King's  Dressing  Room  was  also  painted  by 
Verrio,  but  the  next  important  room  we  reach 
is  the  Queen's  or  Tapestry  Gallery,  on  the 
east  front,  an  imposing  apartment,  with  a 
series  of  splendid  tapestries,  from  designs  by 
Le  Brun,  lining  its  walls.  These  represent 
Incidents  in  the  life  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
beginning  with  his  triumphant  entry  into 
Babylon,  and  including  a  remarkable  tableau 
over  the  mantel-piece  of  Diogenes  in  his  tub, 
entreating  Alexander  to  stand  away  from 
between  him  and  the  sun. 

Queen  Anne's  Bedroom  has  still  her  State 
bed,  with  hangings  worked  at  Spitalfleids, 
a  ceiling  representing  Aurora  rising' from  the 


Photo..  ■}.  s.  c  Vord.     yueen  Mary's  Bower.        'Tawpton  wick 


HAMPTON  COURT. 


£3 


Sea,  by  Sir  .James  Thoriiliill, 
and  many  beautiful  pictures, 
including  several  by  Giulio 
Romano.  Queen  Anne's 
Drawing  Room,  which  is  entirely 
lined  with  pictures  by  Benjamin 
West,  has  one  of  Verrio's  most 
successful  ceilings,  representing 
Anne  in  the  character  of  Justice, 
with  Neptune  and  Britannia  to 
support  her  crown.  From  the 
windows  of  this  room  a  magnifi- 
cent prospect  is  gained  of  the 
gay  flower-beds,  trim  grass- 
plats,  and  fountain  of  the  public 
gardens,  the  Long  Water,  and  the 
three  gre.at  diverging  avenues. 
There  is  no  better  position  for 
surveying  these  magnificent 
gardens,  formed  under  the 
care  of  William  111.  and  his 
successors.  Defoe  says  the 
King  hirnself  designed  them. 
In  the  Queen's  Audience 
Chamber,  which  is  next  reached, 
are  very  curious  contemporary 
paintings  of  the  meeting  of 
Henry  VIll.  and  Maximilian  at 
Tournay,  1513;  the  embarka- 
tion of  Henry  at  Dover,  1520; 
and  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of 
Gold ;  besides  a  remarkable 
picture  of  Henry  and  his  family 
in  the  School  of  Holbein,  and  a 
very  singular  "Elizabeth  in 
Fancy  Dress,"  by  Zucchero. 

There  is  not  space  to  deal 
here  with  some  other  apart- 
ments on  the  east  front,  and 
those  which  surround  the 
Fountain  Court.  Their  charac- 
ter has  been  suggested,  and  catalogues  of 
their  pictures  are  easily  obtained.  Walking 
through  them,  it  is  not  difficult  to  call  up  the 
Hampton  Court  of  the  days  of  Queen  Anne, 
supremely  dull,  and  wittily  satirized  by  Pope. 
Here  did  British  statesmen  foredoom  the  fall 
"  of  foreign  tyrants  and  of  nymphs  at  home," 
here  would  "great  Anna,"  he  says,  "some- 
times counsel  take — and  sometimes  tea." 
Then,  too,  we  may  think  of  George  1.  sally- 
ing forth  from  these  chambers  to  the  Hall, 
there,  with  stolid  satisfaction,  to  witness  the 
plays  enacted  at  court,  aroused  once  to  a 
species  of  enthusiasm,  appropriate  enough  in 
that  place,  by  Shakespeare's  Henry  Vlll." 
A  dull  nobleman  asked  Steele  how  the  King 
liked  the  play.  "  So  terribly  well,  my  Lord, 
that  i  was  afraid  I  should  have  lost  all  my 
actors  !  For  I  was  not  sure  the  King  would 
not  keep  them  to  fill  the  posts  at  court  that  he 
saw  them  so  fit  for  in  the  play!"  Every 
whit  as  solemn  and  dull  was  the  Palace  in  the 


fkala.,  %  S.  Ca(ftrd. 


The  Fish  Court. 


I! am t ton  IVick. 


time  of  George  11.,  who  was  the  last  monarch 
to  keep  his  court  there. 

We  happily  leave  the  state  apartments  with 
a  glance  at  the  things  of  an  earlier  time.  Near 
the  head  of  the  Queen's  Staircase  the  visitor  to 
Hampton  Court  now  sees  Wolsey's  Closet,  a 
characteristic  old-world  chamber  adjoining  the 
Clock  Court,  with  a  marvellously  beautiful 
panelled  ceiling,  an  old  muUioned  window,  and 
admirable  linenfold  wainscoting.  The  Chapel, 
which  lies  north  of  the  Fountain  Court,  pre- 
sents a  strangely  mixed  character,  but  is 
generally  pleasing,  with  its  iialf-Tudor  roof  and 
pendants,  its  classic  centre-piece  covering  the 
east  window,  and  its  oaken  pews  by  Wren. 
It  was  stripped  of  its  painted  glass,  its  images 
and  its  pictures  by  order  of  Parliament  in 
1645. 

More  charming  to  many  a  visitor  to  Hampton 
Court  are  the  gardens  and  groves  that  surround 
it  than  some  of  the  State  Rooms  he  surveys. 
The   magnificent  semi-circular   gardens,  witl> 


34 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


the  Long  Water  and  three  avenues  in  the 
Home  Park  beyond,  have  been  alluded  to.  The 
great  canal  was  formed  under  the  personal 
direction  of  William  III.,  and  London  and 
Wise,  his  gardeners,  planted  the  lime  avenues 
and  arranged  the  terraces,  though  the  splendid 
yews  and  laurels  belong  to  the  time  of  Charles 
IL,  and  were  placed  there  by  his  gardener  Rose,. 
At  one  time  a  very  formal  aspect  was  given 
to  the  scene  by  cutting  the  yews  to  resemble 
obelisks,  but  now,  happily, they  grow  as  Nature 
intended  they  should.  The  Private  Gardens, 
between  the  Palace  and  the  Thames  are  ex- 
tremely beautiful,  bright  in  their  flower  beds, 
solemn  and  shady  in  their  alleys,  and  ever 
varied  and  delightful.  Then  we  find  that 
strange  "  cradel  walk,  for  the  purplexed 
twining  of  the  trees  very  observable,"  says 
Evelyn,  "Queen  Mary's  Bower,"  of  wych- 
elm,  not  hornbeam,  marvellous  in  its  over- 
arching. It  is  an  avenue  unique,  and  is  about 
lOO  yards  long,  20  feet  high  and  12  broad. 
Near  by  is  the  ancient  Pond  Garden,  with 
its  sunken  parallelogram,  calling  up  even 
Tudor  times,  with  overgrown  stone  edgings, 
and  the  bases  still  remaining  of  the  grotesque 
animals  which  once  adorned  the  scene  On 
this  side  lies  the  vine,  also,  famous  among  all 
visitors  for  its  thousands  of  purple  clusters, 
and  we  wonder  how  many  it  has  fruited  since 
it  was  planted  in  1769.  The  celebrated  iron 
screens,  which  flanked  the  river  at  intervals,  are 
there  no  more,  two  being  reserved  in  the  State 
Apartments,  while  others  are  at  South  Ken- 
sington.    Perhaps  never  has  iron  been  so  skil- 


fully wrought  as  under  the  direction  of  Jean 
Tijou,  the  author  of  these,  who  was  em- 
ployed also  by  Wren  to  make  the  iron  gates  of 
the  choir  at  St.  Paul's.  The  actual  handicrafts- 
man was  Huntingdon  Shaw,  "an  artist  in  his 
way,"  says  his  epitaph,  who  is  buried  in 
Hampton  Church. 

Passing  then  along  the  Broad  Walk  on  the 
east  front,  and  by  the  charming  Flower  Pot 
Gate,  we  reach  the  Wilderness,  that  delightful 
garden  of  flowers,  beautiful  trees,  and  sunny 
spaces.  Here,  too,  is  the  famous  maze,  "  not 
without  a  plan,"  which  is  the  delight  of  thou- 
sands in  the  summer  days.  Then  we  pass 
through  the  great  wrought-iron  Lion  Gates, 
and  between  the  lofty  pillars  from  which  they 
are  named,  very  notable  works  of  the  time  of 
William  III.,  out  into  th»"  Kingston  Road. 
Beyond  lie  the  noble  triple  avenue  of  limes 
and  horse-chestnuts,  the  Diana  Fountain,  and 
the  deep  groves  of  Bushey,  ever  lovely  when 
the  bright  green  leaf  breaks  in  the  spring, 
and  the  hawthorns  are  in  blossom ;  when 
the  tones  grow  richer  in  June,  and  the 
giant  chestnuts  are  blossoming ;  or,  later, 
when  the  foliage  turns  red  and  gold,  and 
the  nuts  lie  thick  on  the  turf;  or  again 
when  autumn  has  blown,  and  the  matchless 
avenues  lift  their  delicate  tracery  agains'" 
the  sky.  Hampton  Court,  indeed,  for  its 
'■•.istoric  associations,  its  glorious  buildings,  its 
rare  treasures  of  art,  its  lovely  gardens,  and  its 
surpassingly  beautiful  woods  is  one  of  the  most 
famous  places  in  all  the  valley  of  the  regal 
Thames. 


riiD'o.,  J.  S.  Cal/ord. 


The.  Diana  Fountain,  Bushey  Park. 


Havi^/sn  Wifk. 


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TROLLING  down  from  Hampton 
Court  to  our  boat  which  lies  by 
the  bridge,  we  leave  behind  us  a 
whole  world  of  famous  memories 
and  a  crowd  of  delightful  places ; 
but  it  is  to  meet  new  interests  and 
■other  beauties,  to  enter  again  upon  the  living 
enjoyments  of  the  river,  marked  by  the  laughter 
of  boating  parties,  the  long,  strong  pulling  of 
practised  oarsmen,  and  the  placid  pleasures 
of  anglers  in  their  punts,  to  land  liere  and 
Ihere  to  look  into  3  church,  or  investigate  the 
history  of  a  locality,  and  so  to  fare  forward 
until  the  towers  and  battlements  of  Windsor 
and  the  attractions  of  scholastic  Eton  bid  us 
make  longer  pause.  This  iron  girder  bridge 
at  Hampton  Court  is  certainly  not  a  thing  of 
beauty,  with  its  bare,  hard  lines.  The  first 
bridge,  built  in  1708,  was  a  far  more  pic- 
turesque structure,  we  may  be  sure.  That 
fantastic  bridge  of  many  spans  opened  in  1753, 
which  is  here  depicted,  was  much  more  curious, 
its  designer  might  have  been  bewitched  by 
AUadin's  lamp  into  making  a  copy  of  the 
Chinese.  There  is  interest  in  the  picture, 
too,  as  in  another  of  old  Shepperton  further 
on,  of  another  sort.  It  shows  how  boats 
were  hauled  up  the  river  before  the  locks  were 
made,  and  when  the  horses  walked  in  the 
stream . 

The  boatman  sets  out  from  the  busy  scene 
of  Molesey  Lock,  where  is  the  merry  music  of 
laughter  as  the  boats  go  over  the  rollers,  and 
•eager  expectancy  as  the  waters  pour  through 
the  sluices,  by  many  a  place  where  he  lingers, 
and  to  which  he  will  often  return.  This  is  the 
favourite  region  for  boating,  with  long  open 
reaches  and  many  eyots  in  the  stream,  where 
it  is  pleasant  to  lie  under  the  banks,  to  explore 
the  backwaters,  and  to  picnic  in  the  welcome 
shade.  There  is  a  gentle  beauty  in  the  river 
hence  to  Windsor  that  grows  upon  the  visitor 


Garrick's  "Temple"  and  Hampton  Church. 

with  its  subtle  charm  of  green  and  sedgy 
banks,  trim  lawns,  splendid  foliage,  and  re- 
flected over-arching  sky.  The  district  im- 
mediately hereabout  is  certainly  not  the  most 
picturesque,  for  the  banks  are  low,  without 
striking  features,  though  above  them  rise  the 
distant  wooded  hills  of  Esher  and  Claremont, 
and  the  gentle  sweeps  which  border  the  Ember 
and  the  Mole.  There  are,  unhappily,  some 
disfigurements  also — the  smoke  stacks,  venti- 
lating shafts,  pumping  works,  and  large  filtering 
beds  of  London  water  companies,  for  it  is 
from  this  region  of  the  Thames  that  a  great 
deal  of  water  supplied  to  the  metropolis  is 
drawn.  Within  recent  years,  and  even  months, 
these  works  have  been  extended  ;  and  there  is 
also  upon  the  Surrey  side,  on  the  site  of  what 
was  once  known  as  Molesey  Hurst,  a  place 
notable  for  duels  and  prize  fights,  the  grand 
stand  of  the  Hampton  Races.  Further  along, 
too,  on  the  Middlesex  side,  behind  that  pleasant 
river-side  house,  Sunbury  Court,  a  large  area 
is  given  up  to  the  Kempton  Park  Races.  These, 
if  they  do  not  please  the  lovers  of  the  Thames, 
and  those  who  live  near  by,  afford  unbounded 
delight  to  a  great  many  strangers. 

At  the  outset,  in  this  up-river  journey  from 
Hampton  Court,  we  meet  a  very  famous  scene 
of  the  Thames,  where  the  "  Grecian  Temple," 
so-called,  of  Garrick's  Villa  is  disclosed  amid 
trees  upon  the  bank,  with  the  pinnacles  of 
Hampton  Church  behind.  All  lovers  of  the 
river  know  the  place.  The  house  in  which  the 
great  actor  dwelt  can  scarcely  be  see  n  from  the 
water,  -for  it  stands  on  the  other  side  of  the 
road.     It  was  the  home  that  Garrick  delighted 


so 


THE  THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


in,  and  that  won  the  encomium  of  Johnson  : 
•'  Ah  !  David,  it  is  the  leaving;  of  such  places 
that  makes  a  death-bed  terrible."  Garrick 
designed  and  laid  out  the  grounds,  and  built 
the  temple  to  receive  Roubiliac's  well-known 
statue  of  Shakespeare,  which  is  now  in  the 
British  Museum.  Horace  Walpole  describes  the 
gaiety  of  the  house,  the  fetes  and  illuminated 
garden  parties,  and  the  great  people  he  met 
there.  The  place  should  be  dear  to  all  lovers 
of  the  stage,  and  we  cannot  but  regret  that 
the  purpose  of  the  great  player's  widow  to 
maintain  it  was  at  last  defeated.  Upon  her 
death  in  1822,  when  she  had  been  a  widow  for 
43  years,  the  well-kept  house  was  broken  up, 
and  its  collections  dispersed,  but  the  memory 
of  Garrick  will  long  linger  by  the  Thames. 


middle  waters,  or  lower  angling  grounds,  of  the 
river.  Tags's  Island,  and  other  eyots  here- 
about, are  famous  resorts  of  anglers.  Near 
Sunbury  are  special  rearing  ponds,  out  of  which 
thousands  of  young  fish  are  turned  into  the 
river  every  year,  and  there  are  excellent  deeps 
where  the  angling  is  very  good.  The  Thames 
Angling  Preservation  Society  is  a  body  which 
protects  the  fishery  under  the  Thames  Conser- 
vancy, and  has  water-bailiffs  and  watchers 
along  the  river.  The  wary  angler  would  do 
well  to  make  himself  familiar  with  the  regula- 
tions, and  with  the  fence  months  for  trout,  jack, 
roach,  dace,  barbel,  gudgeon,  chub,  etc.,  and 
to  remember  that  the  watchers  may  enter  his 
boat,  and  seize  any  fish  or  spawn  illegally  taken, 
as  well  as  the  instruments  used  for  their  cap- 


.    /\/!v:i//o-//rr  ' /^r/r  />/ J/aMPTON  C0UR.T BfillKif:  rn>/!i  ///.■  .  A'/zy/-  ly'' .'///am/:i<J/,.„;/iJii,r'ri'^,j.iy 


Hampton  Church  is  a  familiar  object  to  all 
who  know  the  river — a  building  of  somewhat 
picturesque  aspect,  but  without  much  to  dis- 
tinguish it,  save  the  monuments  which  are 
vv  thin.  One  of  these  is  distinctly  curious.  It 
is  that  of  Mistress  Sybil  Penn,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  a  John  Hampden.  She  was  the  lady 
whose  spirit  walks,  if  old  wives'  tales  be  true, 
at  Hampton  Court  ;  the  same  who  nursed 
Prince  Edward.  Her  effigy  is  of  the  most 
formal,  wooden  character  that  can  be  con- 
trived, and  there  is  a  long  epitaph,  by  one  who 
lias  "  plied  his  pen  "  to  praise  "  this  Penn." 

In  the  churchyard  at  Hampton  it  is  well  to 
note  also  that  Huntingdon  Shaw  is  buried,  the 
actual  craftsman  of  those  marvellous  iron  gates 
or  screens,  which  were  designed  by  Jean  Tijou 
for  William  III.,  and  at  one  time  lined  the  river 
front  of  the  gardens  at  Hampton  Court. 

Hampton,  and  Sunbury  beyond,  may  be 
described  as  a  headquarters  of  fishing  in  the 


ture.  The  boatman,  too,  may  be  advised  to 
ascertain  his  rights  and  privileges  in  regard  to 
picnics  and  camps  on  the  islands  and  banks. 
So  will  bad  blood  be  spared,  and  nought  trouble 
digestion  or  other  pleasures  of  the  placid  Thames. 
This  is  not  the  place  in  which  to  deal  at  any 
length  with  fishing  in  the  river,  but  it  must  be 
noted  that  all  along  the  bank  there  are  angling 
resorts  at  the  various  villages,  and  old  hostelries 
which  welcome  the  votaries  of  the  gentle  art. 

Sunbury,  which  they  greatly  haunt— for  trout 
may  be  taken  by  the  long  rushing  weir — lies 
about  two  miles  beyond  Hampton,  a  plea- 
sant old-fashioned  village,  straggling  along  the 
Middlesex  bank,  with  old  red  brick  dwellings, 
fine  trees,  and  much  to  make  it  attractive.  Its 
church  is  a  plain  and  unpretentious  structure. 
but  the  village,  seen  from  the  water  through 
the  willows,  presents  a  very  pretty  picture.  A 
melancholy  memorial  has  somewhat  lately  been 
erected  there,  in  the  form  of  a  drinking  fountain. 


SUNBURY    AND    IVALTON. 


SI 


Photo.,   y,  S.  Cmt/ord, 


Sunbury  Lock. 


u-1 


surmounted  by  a  recumbent  lion.  It  is  to  the 
memory  of  two  brothers  of  Sunbury,  who  lost 
their  lives  in  the  country's  service  within 
a  month  of  one  another— Captain  Charles 
Frederick  Lendy,  R.A.,  who  died  at  Buluwayo 
in  January,  1894,  from  the  effects  of  the 
Matabele  campaign,  and  of  Captain  Edward 
Augustus  Lendy,  D.S.O.,  who  was  killed  in 
action  at  Waima,  West  Africa,  in  December, 
1893.  The  boating  hereabout  is  excellent,  and 
is  conducted  with  every  facility. 

But  Sunbury  is  soon  left  behind  by  the 
swinging  oars,  and  a  mile  and  a  half  further 
up  we  tmd  Walton  on  the  Surrey  shore.  Here 
the  Thames  is  full  of  beauties.  From  the 
bridge  there  are  fascinating  views  both 
stream  and  down,  with  a  broad 
expanse  of  water  sweeping  round 
a  noble  curve,  green  banks,  and 
the  woods  of  Oatlands  Park 
clothing  the  gentle  hill.  No  won- 
der, we  say,  the  place  attracted 
the  pencil  of  Turner,  whose 
picture  of  Walton  Bridge,  witn 
its  wealth  of  water  and  sky, 
is  filled  with  that  luminous 
character  which  was  all  his 
own.  The  church  of  St.  Mary 
is  a  curious  structure,  with  an  as- 
pect that  is  decidedly  impressive 
when  it  is  regarded  from  certain 
points.  There  is  a  Norman  ar- 
cade within,  and  early  portions 
dating  back  perhaps  to  the  time 
when  Walton-on-Thames  was 
a  place  of  importance,  a  walled 
town  commanding  a  notable  ford 
across  the  river.  The  church,  is 
built  of  flint,  stone,  and  chalk, 


Hmmfton   It'ick. 

and  has  some  Norman  features,  though  it  has 
been  a  great  deal  changed.  Queen  Elizabeth 
is  said  to  be  the  author  of  certain  lines  which 
are  cut  in  one  of  the  piers — 

"  Christ  was  the  Worde  and  spake  it : 
He  took  the  Bread  and  brake  it ; 
And  what  the  Worde  doth  make  it, 
That  I  believe,  and  take  it." 

They  show,  with  great  pride,  a  singular 
brass,  dating  from  1587,  to  the  memory  of 
John  Selwyn,  "  Keeper  of  her  Ma'tie's  Parke 
of  Otelande,"  his  wife,  five  sons,  and  six 
daughters.  The  keeper  himself  is  depicted 
having  sprung  upon  the  back  of  a  stag,  to 
which  he  is  dealing  death  with  his  knife.  Here, 
too,  is  a  very  notable  military  memorial,  with 


Walton  Church. 


THE   THAMES   H.LUSTRATED. 


^  ../ i/cir../_//u  '  /'/•/////•  «/w7/.'.'  ^//ii 


Walton  Bridge,  J  794. 


effigy,  of  Field  Marshal  Richard  Boyle  (Lord 
Shannon),  who  died  in  1740,  with  his  lady 
kneeling  at  the  foot.  This  is  the  most  remark- 
able work  of  Roubiliac.  Yet  more  singular  is 
that  odd  means  of  securing  domestic  peace 
jealously  preserved  in  the  vestry,  it  is  a 
"  brank  "  or  "  gossip's  bridle,"  in  the  form  of 
a  circlet  of  iron,  intended  to  go  round  the  face, 
and  secured  by  a  padlock,  with  a  thin  pro- 
jecting piece  which  would  hold  down  the  tongue. 
This,  it  would  appear,  the  Walton  men  were 
sometimes  accustomed  to  use  for  the  subjection 
of  their  refractory  spou'^es. 

but  the  interests  of  ancient  Walton  are  not 
exhausted.  Here  was  President  Bradshaw's 
house  nearer  the  river,  with  the  very  panelled 
chamber  in  which  the  death-warrant  was  signed, 
and  in  which  the  uneasy  spirit  of  the  regicide 
walked,  to  the  terrifying  of  Walton  in  former 


times.  But  of  far  greater  antiquity  were 
Cowey  Stakes,  just  beyond  Walton  bridge, 
which  probably  marked  the  passage  of  Ca?sar 
in  his  second  invasion  of  Britain,  when  he 
crossed  the  Thames  on  foot  to  subjugate  Cas- 
sivellaunus,  who  had  strongly  defended  the 
bank.  There  is  the  strongest  evidence  of  those 
who  frequented  the  river  within  the  last  century 
that  a  set  of  stakes  existed  in  the  bed  crossing 
from  side  to  side.  These  appear  to  have 
marked  the  ford,  with  the  purpose  of  compel- 
ling the  waders  to  cross  under  the  eye  of  the 
watch  set  upon  the  bank. 

More  than  a  dozen  times  between  Walton 
and  Chertsey,  which,  as  the  crow  flies,  is  a 
distance  of  but  three  miles,  does  the  wayward 
and  varied  Thames  turn,  now  to  the  right  and 
now  to  left,  in  great  and  sweeping  curves 
that  are  often  contained  within  a  right  angle. 


1 


PhoU.,  Frith. 


Halliford. 


Rtifate. 


SHEPPERTON   AND    IVEYBRIDGE. 


53 


Infinitely  diversified  are  the  prospects  as  the 
noble  stream  sweeps  between  Halliford  and 
Shepperton  on  the  Middlesex  side  and  Wey- 
bridge  on  the  other.  The  wooded  slope  of  old 
Oatlands  Park,  the  fir-clad  heights  of  St. 
George's  Hill,  the  beautiful  meadows  by  the 
tributary  Wey,  the  green  and  shadowy  lanes, 
and  the  noble  river  contribute  to  make  a  series 
of  most  delightful  pictures  indeed.  The  region 
is  one,  therefore,  beloved  of  anglers  and  boat- 
men. Halliford,  a  pleasant  village,  whose 
name  is  supposed,  though  doubtfully,  to  pre- 
serve the  memory  of  the  great  ford  across  the 
Thames,  and  Shepperton  just  beyond  it,  lie 
along  the  pleasant  road  from  Walton  Bridge  to 


a  far-reaching  curve  on  the  way,  we  turn 
north-west  with  the  river  towards  Windsor  and 
Maidenhead,  nor  shall  again  depart  from  that 
general  direction  until  we  reach  the  place 
where  it  sweeps  with  a  mighty  curve  round 
the  slopes  of  Winter  Hill  from  Great  Marlow. 
Weybridge  is  a  pleasant  village,  with  extensive 
views  of  the  lovely  river  scenery,  splendid 
trees,  shadowy  lanes,  and  many  fine  old  houses 
in  its  vicinity,  interspersed  with  not  a  few  that 
are  new ;  possessing,  too,  the  old  column 
which  once  stood  in  Seven  Dials,  erected  on 
its  green  as  a  memorial  of  the  Duchess  of 
York.  The  Church  was  rebuilt  in  1848,  and 
has   since   been   enlarged.      It  has  a  spacious 


Jfudsa^  ^  '^a 


Phoro.,  Frith, 


Weybridge. 


Chertsey  Bridge.  Shepperton  is  a  delightfully 
quaint  place  still,  with  f:ne  houses  standing 
amid  trees,  a  green  framed  with  chestnuts  and 
elms,  and  a  pretty  surrounding  country.  There 
is  excellent  fishing  at  the  place  for  barbel, 
perch,  roach,  jack,  and  sometimes  trout,  and 
boats  and  punts  are  plentiful.  The  Church 
looks  charming  from  the  water,  but  has  been  a 
good  deal  altered  since  it  was  built  in  the  i6th 
century,  to  replace  an  earlier  structure  which 
stood  in  the  river  on  piles. 

Weybridge,  on  the  Surrey  side,  a  short  mile 
above  Shepperton,  is  the  most  southerly  point 
in  the  whole  course  of  the  Thames.  Nowhere 
else  does  the  river  strike  so  far  southward  as 
at  the  point  of  its  confluence  with  the  Wey. 
Hitherto  we  have  traced  it  upward  in  a  south- 
westerly direction,  but  now,  still  with  many. 


aspect,  and  possesses  some  monuments  of 
interest,  including  those  of  Vice-Admiral  Sir 
Thomas  Hopson,  who  broke  the  boom  at  Vigo, 
and  died  in  1717,  and  of  the  Duchess  of  York, 
who  died  at  Oatlands  Park  in  1820.  The 
small  Catholic  Church  at  Weybridge  is  also 
interesting  to  many  as  having  been,  until 
1876,  when  the  remains  were  removed  to 
Dreux,  the  burial  place  of  King  Louis  Philippe 
and  his  family,  where  they  lay  "donee  in 
patriam,  avitos  inter  cineres,  Deo  adjuvante, 
transferantur." 

But  Weybridge  is  mostly  celebrated  for  Oat- 
lands Park  and  its  famous  memories.  It  was  a 
place  which  Henry  VIII.,  with  his  accustomed 
greed,  marked  more  than  once  in  the  valley  of 
the  Thames,  grasped  out  of  the  hand  of  its 
youthful  possessor.    He  proceeded  with  feverish 


54 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


-'^"■"■^y  •■m~'i* '■'  ■    -.-.r.    .  .      .    '    ■■■:■'■ 


View  of  Sbepperton  in  J  752. 

energy  to  build  there  a  palace  which  was  little 
inferior  to  Hampton  itself.  The  abbeys  he  had 
spoiled  of  their  revenues  were  the  quarries 
that  satisfied  his  caprice.  Chertsey,  near  by, 
and  Bisham,  by  Marlow,  gave  up  the  stone 
wrought  long  before  ;  Abingdon  was  robbed  of 
its  pavements  of  marble  and  tile  ;  the  fruit  trees 
the  monks  of  Chertsey  had  planted  in  their 
orchard,  were  carried  to  the  Royal  abode. 
Henry  designed  the  palace  to  receive  his 
new  Queen,  Anne  of  Cleves,  but,  before  it 
could  be  completed,  she  had  arrived,  with  hard 
and  ill-favoured  visage  carrying  disappoint- 
ment, and  had  given  place  to  her  successor. 
Edward  VI.,  Elizabeth,  James,  and  Charles  I., 
were  often  at  Oatlands,  which  afterwards,  a  dis- 
mantled fragment,  came  into  the  hands  of  Sir 
Edward  Herbert,  who  fled  with  James  II.,  and 
then  to  his  brother,  the  Earl  of  Torrington. 
From  him  it  passed  to  the  Clintons,  Earls  of 
I-incoln  and  Dukes  of  Newcastle,  of  whom  one 


enlarged  the  place,  re- 
modelled it,  formed  a 
splendid  lake,  and  built 
a  grotto,  with  other  like 
additions,  which  disap- 
pointed Walpole.  The 
place  was  celebrated 
afterwards  as  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Duke  of 
York,  and  the  scene  of 
the  hospitality  of  his 
Duchess.  It  passed  later 
into  private  hands,  and 
was  converted  into  the 
Oatlands  Park  Hotel,  a 
tine  Italian  structure,  in 
beautiful  grounds,  with 
the  great  lake  and  the 
Thames  below  the  ter- 
race on  which  it  stands, 
whence  there  is  a  magnificent  prospect  of  the 
river  from  Kingston  to  Windsor. 

Oatlands  Park  lies,  indeed,  in  a  beautiful 
country,  with  lovely  woods  around  it,  and  St. 
George's  Hill  rising  behind  to  an  elevation  of 
500  feet  between  the  Mole  and  the  Wey  ;  its 
breezy  heights,  with  delicious  air  and  sylvan 
scenery,  varied  by  elms,  oaks,  and  pines,  rich 
in  ferns  and  wild  flowers,  and  scented  by 
innumerable  blossoms  in  the  spring.  A  mag- 
nificent panorama  may  be  surveyed  from 
various  points  on  the  hill.  There  is  a  vast 
sweep  of  the  valley  of  the  Thames  ;  we  behold 
distant  Wycombe  and  Windsor ;  Cooper's  Hill 
nearer  at  hand  ;  Bushey,  Hampton  Court  and 
Richmond  Hill ;  Harrow,  Highgate  and  Hamp- 
stead.  On  the  other  side  are  the  Kentish  and 
Surrey  Hills.  Across  the  river  Mole  which 
flows  to  the  Thames  by  many  a  splendid  seat, 
and  notably  by  Cobham  Park,  and  the  beauti- 
ful domain  of  Pain's   Hill,  the  eye  ranges  to 


Phoo.,  J.  S.  Catfotd. 


Chertsey  Lock. 


Bampfon  Wick. 


C^ERTSEY. 


S5 


Knockholt  Beeches,  the  Hog's  Back,  and  many 
a  hill  besides. 

It  is  two  miles  up  from  Shepperton  Lock 
to  Chertsey.  Pleasant  old  Chertsey  is  a 
half-rustic  country  town,  with  a  flavour  of 
the  old,  and  yet  a  considerable  aspect  of 
the  modern.  Boatmen  and  anglers  know  it 
well,  and  cyclists  on  the  road  from  Staines  to 
Woking  find  refreshment  in  its  inns.  In  former 
times  Chertsey  was  a  place  of  note,  through 
the  neighbourhood  of  its  great  mitred  abbey, 
which  was  a  noble  monument  of  devoted  muni- 
ficence and  ecclesiastical  splendour,  now,  save 
for  a  few  vestiges,  all  swept  away.  It  would 
appear  that  the  abbey  was  founded  by  St. 
Erkenwald  about  the  year  666,  in  the  reign  of 


to  grow  in  importance  through  the  munificence 
of  the  wealthy,  until  it  reached  the  height  of  its 
splendour  in  the  times  of  Edward  II.  and  his 
successor,  when  Abbot  John  de  Rutherford, 
exercising  private  generosity,  was  regarded  as 
another  founder  of  the  house. 

Many  famous  men  were  buried  in  Chertsey 
Abbey,  and,  amongthem,  Henry  VI.,  whose  body 
lay  there  until  Richard  III.  translated  it  to  Wind- 
sor. In  the  first  act  of  "  Richard  III."  we  meet 
the  open  coffin  of  the  King,  with  his  gentlemen 
carrying  halberds,  and  Lady  Anne  mourning — 

"  Come  now  towards  Chertsey  with  your  holy  load. 
Taken  from  Paul's  to  ba  interred  there; 
And  still  as  you  are  weary  of  the  weight, 
Rest  you,  whiles  1  lament  King  Henry's  corse." 


l*Hmt.,  lavnt. 


Chertsey  Bridge. 


King  Egbert,  and  afterwards  further  endowed 
by  Frithwald.  This  was  the  first  monastic 
house  established  in  Surrey.  It  was  presided 
over  by  Erkenwald  until  he  became  Bishop  of 
London,  and  was  favoured  by  Offa,  Ethelwulf 
and  Alfred ;  butthe  Danes,  coming  swiftly,  swept 
down  upon  the  place,  slaughtered  Beocca,  the 
abbot,  and  his  monks,  to  the  number  of  ninety, 
and  gave  the  church  and  buildings  to  the  flames. 
It  was  a  fate  that  befel  not  a  few  abbeys  in  the 
times  when  pillaging  hordes  swept  up  the 
Thames  and  other  river  courses  and  ravaged 
the  fairest  regions  of  the  land.  But  Chertsey 
Abbey  was  refounded  by  Edgar  in  964  as  a 
Benedictine  house,  which,  receiving  new  pos- 
sessions from  Edward  the  Confessor,  continued 


This  is  Shakespeare's  version,  but,  in  fact,  the 
body  was  brought  from  Blackfriars  to  Chert- 
sey by  water.  Remembering  what  splendid 
monastic  piles  still  stand  in  lonely  ruin  else 
where,  as  at  Rievaulx,  Fountains,  and  Glaston- 
bury, it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  Chertsey 
Abbey  should  have  been  so  utterly  destroyed. 
Even  in  1752  Stukeley  marvelled  at  the  com- 
pleteness of  the  work  of  the  spoilers.  "So  total 
a  dissolution  I  scarcely  ever  saw,"  he  says. 
"Of  that  noble  and  splendid  pile,  which  took 
up  four  acres  of  ground  and  looked  like  a  town, 
nothing  remains."  The  site  of  the  Abbey,  aiiJ 
the  scene  of  its  destruction,  was  between  the 
little  Abbey  river  and  the  Thames,  and  there 
a  few  fragments  alone  mark  the  position. 


S6 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


London  Stone. 
The  foundations  have  been  explored,  and 
some  relics  rescued,  and  there  hangs  among 
the  peal  of  six  bells  in  the  parish  church,  one 
with  an  inscription,  "  Ora  mente  pia  pro  nobis 
Virgo  Maria,"  which  probably  came  from  the 
abbey.  The  church  has  a  memorial  of  one  of 
Chertsey's  celebrities,  Charles  James  Fox, 
tvho  revelled  in  the  glorious  prospects  from  the 
neighbouringSt.  Anne's  Hill.  The  poet  Cowley, 
who  lived  his  latter  years  and  died  at  Chertsey 
'in  1667,  had  loved  the  place  before  him.  It 
(vas  in  a  half-timber  house,  quaint  and  secluded, 
tvith  a  window  looking  towards  the  hill,  that 
he  settled  down,  indulging  the  hope  of  meeting 
"  the  simplicity  of  the  old  poetical  golden  age," 
for  he  dreamt  of  Sidney's  Arcadian  shepherds, 
and  pondered  within  himself  whether  he  "  might 
recommend  no  less  to  posterity  the  happiness 
and  innocence  of  the  men  of  Chertsey." 
His  house  is  still  in  existence,  bearing  upon 
its  wall  the  line  of  Pope — 

"  Here  the  last  accents  flowed  from 
Cowley's  tongue." 

But.  if  Cowley  was  disap- 
pointed with  the  men  of  Chert- 
sey, viewed  from  the  idyllic 
standpoint,  he  never  could  be 
disappointed  with  St.  Anne's 
Hill,  which  rises  about  a  mile 
north-west,  famous,  like  all  the 
hills  hereabout,  for  the  magnifi 
cent  prospects  it  affords.  Of  the 
country  enjoyments  of  Charles 
James  Fox,  the  records  of  Ciiert- 
sey  are  full.  All  his  biographers 
describe  the  enthusiastic  fond- 
ness with  which  the  famous 
statesman  loved  the  place.  It 
was  a  supreme  delight  to  him 
to  wander  through  the  woods, 
to  survey  the  river  from  the 
balcony,  to  loiter  in  his  kitchen 


garden,  or  to  play  trap-ball  on  the  lawn, 
when  the  hour  came  for  leaving  his  writiuij 
table.  "  1  dare  say  Fox  is  at  home,  sitting 
on  a  haycock,  reading  novels,  and  watching 
the  jays  steel  his  cherries,"  said  General 
Fitzpatrick  to  a  friend  at  a  time  when  the 
thunders  of  the  French  Revolution  were 
shaking  Europe.  The  house  in  which  he 
dwelt  may  be  seen  on  the  way  to  the  hill. 

It  is  unfailingly  delightful  to  ascend  the 
wooded  pathways,  and  rest  where  some  charm- 
ing view  is  unfolded.  Except  that  Cooper's 
Hill  shuts  off  Windsor  Castle,  there  is  a  great 
prospect  over  the  Thames,  the  hills  that 
enframe  it  westward  and  towards  Richmond 
below,  while  Harrow,  Hampstead  and  Highgate 
rise  beyond.  The  country  is  delightfully  varied 
and  picturesque,  and  richly  timbered.  On  the 
pleasant  side  of  Surrey  we  have  Bagshot 
Heath,  St.  George's  Hill,  with  other  heights 
between,  and  the  eye  wanders  north-westward 
over  the  splendid  region  of  Virginia  Water  and 
the  Great  Park  of  stately  Windsor. 

Beyond  the  pleasant  meadow-land  at  the  foot 
of  St.  Anne's  Hill,  but  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  stands  quiet  old  Laleliam,  with  a  notable 
ferry,  Laleham  House  below  it,  a  plain,  square 
mansion,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Lucan,  and 
Penton  Hook,  a  famous  place  for  trout,  above. 
The  broad  meadows  hereabout,  with  the  river 
flowing  placidly  by,  do  not  claim  to  be 
picturesque,  but,  under  changing  effects  of  light, 
and  with  great  cloud-shadows  sweeping  across 
field  and  river,  they  have  a  characteristic  at- 
tractiveness of  their  own.  Arnold,  who  lived 
at  Laleham  for  some  years  before  he  removed 
to  Rugby,  thought  the  place  "  very  beautiful." 
He  found  abundant  resources  in  the  bank  up  to 
Staines,  which,  he  said,  "though  it  is  perfectly 
flat,  has  yet  a  great  chai  m  from  its  entire 
loneliness,  there  not  being  a  house  anywhere 


At  Ankerwyke. 


Ox/or  (L 


LALEHAM   AND   STAINES. 


57 


Phcr*.,  yri/M, 


Magna  Charta  Island. 


Rtigalt. 


near  it ;  and  the  river  here  has  none  of  that 
stir  of  boats  and  barges  upon  it,  which 
matces  it  in  many  places  as  public  as  the  high 
road." 

Laleham  itself,  with  its  old-fashioned  red- 
roofed  cottages,  is  a  pleasant  place  to  pause  at. 
There  is  Arnold's  house,  where  he  spent  the 
years  which  he  thought  the  happiest  of  his  life, 
and  which  he  continued  to  regard  with  affection, 
and  the  churchyard  in  which  he  hoped  to  be  laid. 
The  church  of  All  Saints  is  a  good  deal  patched, 
but  some  early  features  remain.  Externally  there 
is  something  quite  charming  in  the  low  broad 
seventeenth-century,  ivy-grown  tower,  with  its 
green  and  rustic  surroundings.  Penton  Hook, 
or,  as  it  is  often  pronounced,  "  Penty  "  Hook, 
is  a  little  higher  up  the  river.  At  this  point  the 
stream  makes  a  sudden  sweep  round  a  great 
horse-shoe  curve,  on  the  Surrey  side,  which  the 
lock  cuts  at  its  base,  leaving  a  green  and 
well-wooded  island  between.  The  banks  are 
green  and  sedgy,  and  the  quiet  waters  of  the 
long  curve  have  a  restful  charm,  not  broken  by 
the  passage  of  steamboats  and  launches,  which 
makes  them  pleasant  to  linger  along. 

It  is  two  miles  and  a  half  from  Laleham  to 
Staines  Bridge,  the  grey  granite  structure  of 
Rennie,  a  very  pleasing  and  winding  course, 
amid  woods  and  fields,  with  rooks  winging  their 
way  above,  or  skylarks  trilling  where  the  eye 
cannot  follow.  From  the  river  itself  we  see 
little  of  the  old  town  of  Staines,  which  is  now  a 
thriving  place,  with  manufactories,  where  the 
railway  from  Waterloo  diverges,  one  line  going 
by  Wyrardisbury,  or  Wraysbury,  and  Datchet 
to  Windsor,  the  other  crossing  the  river  half  a 
mile  below  Staines  Bridge  to  Egham  and  Virginia 
Water,  and  so  forward  to  Wokingham  and 
Reading.      In   ancient  times — for   the    bridge 


over  the  Thames  at  Staines  is  one  of  the  oldest 
above  London  Bridge — the  river  was  spanned 
by  oak  from  Windsor  Forest,  which  carried  a 
highly  important  main  road  from  London  to  the 
west  country.  The  professor  of  architecture  at 
the  Royal  Academy,  Thomas  Sandby,  built  a  new 
stone  bridge  there  shortly  after  the  year  1791, 
which,  within  a  few  weeks,  began  to  sink  irre- 
parably. Strangely  enough,  two  successive 
iron  bridges  afterwards  collapsed,  and  the  hand- 
some work  of  Mr.  Rennie  was  commenced  in 
1829. 

But  Staines  itself — though  a  convenient  rest- 
ing place  for  anglers  and  boatmen — must  not 
detain  us  in  this  journeying  towards  Windsor. 
The  church  has  the  base  of  a  tower  which  Inigo 
Jones  built  in  163 1  ;  there  is  Duncroft,  a  fine  old 
Jacobean  house  of  many  gables,  standing  amid 
old-fashioned  gardens  ;  and  there  is  London 
Stone  by  the  river.  At  that  stone  we  enter 
upon  what  is  legally  described  as  the  Uppei 
Thames.  It  marks  the  place  where  aforetime 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  City  of  London  over  the 
Thames  terminated,  and  bears  the  names  of 
several  Lord  Mayors,  the  inscription  "  God 
preserve  the  City  of  London,"  and  the  record 
of  the  Thames  Conservancy,  dated  1857. 

Shortly  after  passing  the  London  Stone,  the 
fitting  approaches  to  Royal  Windsor  begin. 
Buckinghamshire  is  now  on  the  left  bank,  while 
the  old  Surrey  village  of  Egham  stretches  along 
the  delightful  sylvan  road  to  Virginia  Water  on 
the  other — Virginia  Water, famous  for  its  created 
charms,  for  its  enchanting  landscapes,^  its 
winding  lake,  and  great  waterfall,  its  noble 
beeches,  oaks  and  firs,  its  antique  ruins  and 
superb  prospects ;  scarcely  less  notable  for  those 
neighbouring  monuments  of  unstinted  muni- 
ficence, the  HoUoway  Sanatorium  and  College. 


58 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Of  Egham  we  need  say  little  ;  it  has  attrac- 
tions that  commend  themselves,  and  is  familiar 
to  ail  wheelmen  who  frequent  the  charming 
vicinage  of  the  Thames.  But,  beyond  it,  below 
the  verdant  slopes  of  Cooper's  Hill,  our  hearts 
thrill  with  noble  memories  when  we  think  that 
this  is  Runnimede,  this  the  place  where  long  ago 
the  Barons  won  our  freedom,  the  basis  of  our 
liberty,  from  the  niggard  hand  of  John.  There 
is  no  certainty,  it  is  true,  as  to  the  actual  spot 
where  the  famous  charter  was  signed.  Many 
hold  that  Magna  Charta  Island,  in  the 
river,  was  the  historic  scene,  and  there,  in 
1834,  Mr.  Simon  Harcourt  erected  a  gothic 
temple,  and  placed  a  stone  averring  the 
fact.k/  Mr.  Green  assumes  that  John  encamped 
on  one  bank  and  the  Barons  on  the  then  marshy 
flat  of  Runnimede  on  the  other,  and  that  their 
delegates  met  in  the  island. 

Whatever  may  be  the  precise  fact,  this  is 
certainly  the  place  where  the  Barons  imposed 
their  limit  upon  the  arbitrary  exercise  of  the 
kingly  authority.  It  is  appropriately  a  fresh 
and  open  country,  with  great  overarching  sky, 
and  water-lilies  bedecking  the  stream.  The 
island  of  the  Charter,  and  Picnic  Island 
beyond,  where  aforetime,  and  sometimes  now, 
by  permission,  merry  parties  find  enjoyment, 
cleave  the  river  in  twain  ;  and  Cooper's 
Hill  overlooks  the  scene.  Over  against  Magna 
Charta  Island,  and  a  mile  from  old  Wraysbury, 
jr  Wyrardisbury,  in  the  grounds  of  Ankerwyke 
House,  there  still  stands  a  memorial  believed 
to  read  back  to  the  days  of  John.  It  is  the 
great  Ankerwyke  yew,  with  hollow  trunk,  still 
green,  nevertheless,  which  is  glorious  among 
our  forest  trees,  and  is  described  by  Strutt,  who 
figures  it  in  his  "  Sylva  Britannica,"  as  being 
27  feet  8  inches  in  girth,  three  feet  from  the 
ground.  If  it  witnessed  the  deliberations  of  the 
Barons,  or  heard  the  rage  of  King  John,  it  was 
destined  later,  if  tradition  be  believed,  to  be  the 
confidant  of  the  ill-starred  amours  of  Henry 
and  Anne  Boleyn. 

Cooper's  Hill, — which  many,  perhaps,  know 
best  by  the  presence  on  its  superb  brow  of  the 
splendid  Indian  Engineering  College — has  se- 
cured enduring  literary  fame.  Thus  says 
Pope : — 

"  On  Cooper's  Hill  eternal  wreaths  shall  grow 
While  lasts  the  mountain,  or  while  Thames  shall  flow." 

There  is  a  magnificent  prospect  from  the  crest, 
embracing  all  the  points  seen  from  St.  Anne's 
Hill,  extending  to  St.  Paul's,  and  with  the 
hoary  towers  of  Windsor  rising  from  their 
umbrageous  surroundings  some  three  miles 
away.  Denham  made  it  his  Parnassus,  extol- 
ling its  charms  with  fervid  imagination,  in  1642, 
and,  says  Somerville — 

"  Charm'd  once  the  list'ning  Dryads  with  his  song." 

With  eager  strokes  now  the  skiff  is  urged 
forward  towards  Windsor.     Old  Windsor  and 


Datchet  lie  between,  along  the  "  winding 
shore,"  which,  no  doubt,  gave  name  to  the 
royal  abode..  "  Saxon  kings  kept  court  at  Old 
Windsor  ;  there  Harold  and  Tostig  once  ex- 
changed unbrotherly  blows ;  the  Conqueror 
liked  the  place,  too,  because  of  its  proximity  to 
the  river  and  Windsor  Forest,  where  he  might 
fish  and  hunt  as  he  would.  There  is  no  special 
history  for  the  village  after  the  time  of  Henry 
I.,  and  now  it  remains,  a  pretty  place,  with 
scattered  dwellings,  and  many  fine  houses 
about  it.  The  river,  which  is  singularly 
beautiful,  flows  before  the  village,  and  the 
magnificent  trees  of  Windsor  Great  Park  are 
behind,  with  the  Castle  towers  rising  above 
them.  All  anglers  and  boatmen  know  that 
quaint  old  hostelry,  the  "  Bells  of  Ousley," 
where  highwaymen  erewhile  foregathered, 
with  its  embowering  trees,  a  mile  below  the 
lock. 

Datchet  is  old  and  genteel,  rustic  some- 
what, but  with  villas  all  about  it,  telling  much 
of  the  modern,  and  even  something  of  the 
suburban  perhaps,  and  with  the  two  iron  bridges 
of  Victoria  and  Albert  spanning  the  stream. 
We  cannot  think  of  Datchet  without  thinking 
of  Falstaff.  The  "  muddy  ditch  at  Datchet 
mead,"  where  he  was  "carried  in  a  basket, 
like  a  barrow  of  butcher's  offal,  to  be  thrown 
in  the  Thames,"  and  would  have  been 
"drowned  but  that  the  shore  was  shelvy  and 
shallow,"  was  indeed  on  the  Berkshire  side  of 
the  river,  near  the  end  of  Datchet  Lane.  The 
"  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor  "  had  their  revenge 
on  his  carnal  body;  "A  man  of  continual 
dissolution  and  thaw,  it  was  a  miracle  to  'scape 
suffocation.  And  in  the  height  of  this  bath, 
when  I  was  more  than  half  stewed  in  greese, 
like  a  Dutch  dish,  to  be  thrown  into  the  Thames, 
and  cooled,  glowing  hot,  in  that  surge,  like  a 
horseshoe  ;  think  of  that — hissing  hot — think 
of  that.  Master  Brook  !  " 

Above  the  scene  of  this  famous  exploit,  the 
river  grows  entrancingly  beautiful,  for  the 
towers  of  Windsor  and  the  splendid  trees  form 
new  pictures  at  every  turn  of  the  stream. 
Here,  too,  is  a  famous  fishing  region,  to  which 
Izaac  Walton  himself — sometimes  in  company 
with  "that  undervaluer  of  money,  the  late 
provost  of  Eton  College,  Sir  Henry  Wotton  " 
— did  often  resort  to  fish  for  "a  little  trout 
called  a  samlet  or  skegger-trout,  that  would 
bite  as  fast  and  freely  as  minnows,  and  catch 
twenty  or  forty  of  them  at  a  standing."  The 
site  of  this  spot  dear  to  anglers  is  marked  by 
the  Black  Pots  fishing  cottage. 

But  we  have  reached  a  place  where  we  may 
pause  in  our  journeying.  Historic  Windsor 
has  now  risen  before  us,  and  the  old  halls  of 
Eton  are  there  tempting  us  to  stay.  They  are 
places  of  famous  memory,  cherished  by  all 
Englishmen,  and  form  a  fitting  break  in  our 
survey  of  the  Thames. 


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Photo.,  y.  S.  Cal/ord. 


Windsor  from  the  River. 


Hampton  Il'ift, 


O  set  foot  on  shore  at  Windsor  is  one  of 
the  supreme  delights  of  the  Thames. 
If  we  ask  ourselves  what  it  is  that 
invests  a  locality  with  excelling 
attractiveness,  we  answer  that  it  is 
natural  beauty,  enhanced  by  historic 
interests,  adorned  with  architectural  and 
artistic  splendour,  and  affording  the  means  for 
the  pleasurable  exercise  of  mental  and  physical 
powers.  Now  all  these  things  are  found 
combined  in  the  castle,  river,  and  park,  at 
Windsor.  Where  else  can  they  be  discovered 
m  such  degree  together  ?  The  verdant  steep 
that  rises  from  the  "winding  shore  "  is  crowned 
with  a  range  of  walls,  towers,  and  turrets,  in- 
comparably grand.  All  that  was  great  in  our 
ancient  military  architecture  made  the  encircling 
towers  and  walls  the  formidable  defences  they 
were  ;  all  that  was  rich  and  splendid  in  the 
beautiful  world  of  ecclesiastical  art  was  lavished 
upon  the  splendid  Chapel  of  St.  George  ;  the 
genius  and  skill  of  ages  have  worked  for  the 
enrichment  of  the  royal  abode. 

How  famous  are  the  memories  that  cling  to 
these  ancient  walls  !  Our  successive  rulers  in 
Plantagenet,  Tudor,  and  later  times  have  dwelt, 
as  their  chief  residence,  in  this  most  splendid 
of  our  castles.  Other  royal  castles  there  were, 
in  earlier  years,  throughout  the  country, 
where  the  king's  constables  kept  watch  and 
ward  in  the  realm,  but  it  was  Windsor  on  the 
Thames  that  was  fitted  to  be,  and  that  became, 
the  great  seat  of  royal  power.  Therefore  all 
our  history  groups,  as  it  were,  round  the  regal 
hill.  And  it  was  not  only  the  voice  of  kings  in 
council,  not  only  the  spurring  hither  of  knights 
and  royal  messengers,  not  only  the  stir  of 
chivalry  and  of  the  political  and  fighting  world 
that  filled  these  halls  and  castle-wards  ;  for  the 


memories  of  great  men  like  William  of  Wyke 
ham,  and  of  poets  like  Chaucer  and  Surrey- 
nay,  of  Shakespeare  himself— of  beauteous 
women  and  romantic  deeds  are  here  enshrined. 
Here,  indeed,  sceptre  and  sword,  distaff  s'.pri 
pen,  have  exercised  their  apportioned  sway. 

Look  out  from  the  tower  or  the  terraces  over 
the  wondrous  scene  that  surrounds  you.  There 
is  our  noble  Thames  flowing  downward  by 
many  a  charming  place  we  yet  shall  visit, 
through  woods  and  emerald  meadows ;  there  is 
famous  Eton  below,  which  we  have  yet  to 
enter,  the  school  where  generations  of  states- 
men and  soldiers  have  been  moulded  into 
gentlemen  and  what  they  became  ;  and  away 
south-eastward  it  glides  by  Datchet  and  Runni- 
mede,  when  it  is  lost  in  the  distant  delights  we 
have  left  behind.  Look  where  you  will,  to 
Burnham,  or  Windsor  Forest,  or  Richmond, 
there  are  woods  hallowed  by  their  memories, 
or  haunted  by  the  fairy  crowd,  or  famous  in 
romance  and  song ;  there  are  impressive  hills 
rising  from  the  plain  ;  spires  and  towers  each 
with  a  history  ;  distant  glades  and  meadows, 
that  we  cannot  but  wish  to  explore.  Descend, 
then,  to  the  umbrageous  depths  of  Windsor 
Great  Park  where  legendary  oaks  stretch  out 
their  knotted  arms,  where  elms  soar  loftily 
toward  the  sky,  beeches  nod  their  plumes  over 
the  sward,  and  the  green  gloom  of  the  firs 
extends  its  grateful  shade.  You  will  find  the 
richest  of  woodland  pleasures,  and,  still  as 
Shelley  said — who  lived  near  by,  delighting  in 
the  glades — that 

"  Silence  and  Twilight  here,  twin  sisters,  keep 
Their  noonday  watch." 

It  is  delightful  to  wander  through  the  woods,. 
or  lie  at  length  beneath  the  trees,  watching  the 
herds  of  tripping  deer,  or  to  linger  where  stood 


74 


THE  THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


phM..  Friih.  Henry  Vm.'s  Gateway. 

the  haunted  oak  of  Heme,  whereby  they  say 
Falstaff  fared  so  hardly.  Shakespeare,  indeed, 
loved  the  verdant  glades  and  the  noble  towers 
of  Windsor,  as  he  had  learned,  when  a  boy,  to 
love  his  own  woodland  of  Arden.  They  were 
fairyland  to  him,  who  knew  their  poetic  spell. 
Let  us,  therefore,  repeat  the  admonition  of  sweet 
Anne  Page  to  the  attendant  sprites. 

"  Search  Windsor  castle,  elves,  within  and  out : 
Strew  good  luck,  ouphs,  on  every  sacred  room. 
That  it  may  stand  till  the  perpetual  doom, 
In  state  as  wholesome,  as  in  scate  'tis  fit. 
Worthy  the  owner,  and  the  owner  it. 
The  several  chairs  of  order  look  you  scour 
With  juice  of  balm,  and  every  pr  cious  flower; 
Each  fair  instalment,  coat,  and  several  crest, 
With  loyal  blazon,  ever  more  be  blest ! 

Away!  disperse!    But,  till  'tis  one  o'clock, 
Our  dance  of  cuMom  round  about  the  oak 
Of  Herte  the  hunter  let  us  not  forget." 

But,  in  a  riverside  description  of  the  Castle, 
we  remember  that  Windsor  was 
born  of  the  Thames,  it  was  bet- 
ter journeying,  much,  in  former 
times,  as  it  is  pleasanter  still,  by 
the  river  than  by  the  road,  if 
there  had  been  no  Thames  there 
could  have  been  no  Windsor, 
The  dominant  height  command- 
ing that  vast  country,  so  easily 
accessible  by  the  water,  which 
it  forebade  to  all  but  the  king's 
friends,  and  yet  so  well  defended 
on  the  hill,  marked  it  out  for  a 
fortress,  while  the  dense  woods, 
and  the  wild  heath,  now  planted 
or  cultivated — 

"  A  dreary  desert  and  a  gloomy  waste 

To  savage  beasts  and  savage  laws  a 

prey — " 

were  a  region  filled  with  attrac- 
tion  for   William  the  Norman,      '•'•'"■■'■  ^"^ 


who  "  loved  the  tall  stags  as  it  he 
had  been  their  father,"  and  his 
descendants, whowere  filled  with 
veritable  passion  for  the  chase. 
But,  long  before  the  Normans 
came,  there  had  been  a  Royal 
lodge  at  Windsor,  not  upon  the 
height  but  at  Old  Windsor  by 
the  shore,  hidden  amidst  the 
woods,  and  reached  by  bridle- 
paths through  the  forest,  where 
lierds  of  swine  ate  oak  and  beech 
mast  in  the  groves,  and  swine- 
herds and  charcoal-burners  were 
almost  the  only  dwellers  therein. 
Yet  there  had  certainly  been  a 
fortified  outlook-post  on  the  hill 
before  William  raised  his  strong 
donjon  there.  The  Conqueror  was 
too  good  a  soldier  not  to  recognize 
the  military  importance  of  the 
position,  and  he  appointed  a  constable  to  keep 
watch  and  ward.  In  his  time  and  that  of  his  son 
the  place  was  as  much  a  prison  as  a  residence,  a 
stronghold  where  turbulent  barons  might  be 
clapped  under  bars.  This  was  the  fate  of 
Robert  de  Mowbray,  Earl  of  Northumberland, 
who  was  captured  out  of  Bam  borough  castle  in 
1091;,  and  lay  pining  at  Windsor  .ong  years  after 
until  he  died  Under  Henry  1.  the  importance 
of  Winchester  and  Gloucester  as  royal  residences 
declined,  while  that  of  Windsor  proportionately 
grew.  A  subterraneous  way  through  the  cha  k, 
with  a  Norman  door  at  each  end,  issuing  at  a 
postern  in  the  outer  fosse  about  30  feet  beicvv 
the  upper  level,  goes  back  to  those  times. 
Henry  II.  lived  much  at  Windsor,  and  built  a 
good  deal,  soothing  his  embittered  age  with  a 
gloomy  picture  of  an  eagle  with  four  young  ones 
tearing  it,  whereof  one,  which  pecked  at  the 
e\-es,  was  John,  the  same  who,  out  of  his  gate 


St.  George's  Chapel,  West  Front. 


Rtigau. 


WINDSOR. 


75 


sallied  forth  to  Runnimede.  The  walls 
these  kings  built  at  Windsor  have  dis- 
-appeared,  with  the  wooden  structures 
within. 

More  than  once  in  those  times  there 
was  fighting  for  Windsor,  and  the  castle 
was  vainly  beleaguered  by  the  barons 
in  121 7  in  the  struggle  for  the  disputed 
throne  of  Henry  111.  it  was  driven  to 
surrender  at  the  opening  of  the  war,  in 
1263,  but  was  recaptured  ty  Prince 
Edward.  Henry  enlarged  the  buildings 
of  the  present  Lower  Ward,  and  erected 
a  stately  chapel,  sumptuous  chambers, 
and  defensive  works.  The  great  Curfew, 
or  Clewer,  Tower,  which  dominates 
Thames  Street  and  the  way  from  the 
bridge,  and  the  Garter  Tower,  next  be- 
yond it,  remain  of  the  works  of  his  time, 
which  were  continued  along  the  Southern 
frontage  of  the  Lower  Ward.  The  King's 
Hall  adjoined  tlie  Clewer  Tower,  where 
"the  College  Library  now  is,  and  beyond 
it,  extending  along  the  crest  of  the  hill 
north  of  St.  George's  Chapel,  were  the 
.great  kitchen  and  the  royal  lodgings. 

Henry  would  have  done  more,  but  that 
means  were  wanting,  but  he  left  what 
Matthew  of  Westminster,  his  contem- 
porary, describes  as  the  most  splendid 
palace  in  Europe.  Edward  I.  and  Edward 
11.  lived  much  at  Windsor,  where  they 
held  their  courts,  received  guests  and 
envoys,  sat  in  council,  and  delighted  in 
tilting  and  tourneys.  But  it  was  Edward 
ill.,  who  had  been  born  at  Windsor,  that 
raised  the  castle  to  its  magnificence,  and 
gave  it  much  of  the  proud  character  it 
holds  to-day.  Before  his  time  the  Domus 
Regis  and  the  fortified  works  had  exten- 
ded little  beyond  the  existing  Lower  Ward. 
But  the  poetical  mind  and  lofty  spirit  of  Edward 
of  Windsor  conceived  a  more  magnificent 
character  for  the  royal  abode.  All  the  legendary 
lore  of  Arthur  and  his  knights,  who  were 
fabled  long  before  to  have  dwelt  there,  inspired 
him  to  the  creation,  not  only  of  a  noble  castle, 
but  of  an  order  of  knights  who  should  evermore 
•be  associated  therewith.  He  had  the  genius 
and  skill  of  William  of  Wykeham  and  many 
another  able  man,  supported  by  the  finest  handi- 
•craft  of  the  country  to  assist  him.  The  castle 
was  created  anew.  The  chapel  of  Henrylll.took 
new  form,  and  the  Lower  Ward  was  assigned  to 
the  great  eccles'.istical  foundation  of  the  col- 
legiate chapel  of  bt.  George,  its  canons,  priests, 
■choristers, and  poor  knights.  There  grew  about  it 
arches  and  cloisters,  a  deanery,  chapter-house, 
treasury,  and  lodgings  and  halls  for  ecclesiastics, 
.and  military  knights.  The  great  Round  Tower, 
now  the  proud  central  feature  of  the  Castle, 
sprang  up  rapidly,  to  receive  the  round  table 


I'koto.,   Friili. 


St.  George's  Chapel,  the  Nave.  """"'■ 

of  the  new  chivalry.  About  it  lay  the  Middle 
Ward,  assigned  to  knightly  service,  and  the 
pages  of  Froissart  are  brilliant  wiih  the  record  of 
the  stately  pageants  and  celebrations  of  the 
time,  of  the  jousts  and  tourneys,  the  hawking, 
hunting  and  dancing  of  that  glorious  day,  in  . 
which  foreign  princes  and  nobles  came  in  crowds 
to  the  Castle,  while  once  the  King  of  France, 
with  his  son,  and  the  King  of  Scotland,  were 
there  together  confined.  While  the  Lower  and 
Middle  Wards  were  thus  appropriated  to  religion 
and  knighily  prowess,  the  Upper  Ward  a'AS 
created  as  the  splendid  royal  dwelling.  Since 
those  times  much  has  been  done  to  change  and 
further  beautify  Windsor  Castle,  but  it  received 
its  final  stamp  of  character  from  Edward  111., 
and  from  William  of  Wykeham ,  and  others  who 
directed  the  works. 

The  feast  of  St.  George,  the  patron  of 
Windsor  and  of  the  new  Order  of  the  Garter,  was 
the  occasion  of  great  rejoicings  and  stately  cere- 
monies at  the  Castle,  and  successive  kings  held 
their  courts  at  Windsor  when  the  festival  came 
round.   Richard  11.,  who  had  Geoffrey  Chaucer, 


76 


THE   THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


fkoic.  Frith, 


The  Albert  Memorial  Chapel. 


the  poet,  for  his  clerk  of  the  works,  was  otten 
there.  It  was  a  place  where  the  singer  might 
well  be  inspired  with  his  love  of  romance,  and 
the  green  beauties  of  nature.  Another  poet. 
King  James  1.  of  Scotland,  was  at  Windsor,  in 
honourable  captivity,  for  many  years.  His 
lodging  was  in  the  Devil's  Tower,  at  the  corner 
of  the  Upper  Ward,  whence,  looking  out  "to 
see  the  world  and  folk  that  went  forby,"  there 
passed 

"  The  fairest  or  freshest  young  flower 
That  evi  r  I  saw  methought  before  that  hour." 

This  was  his  future  queen,  Jane,  the  daughter  of 


riiflfo.,   I'rifk, 


Prince  Cons 


Monun  ent. 


the  Duke  of  Beaufort.  Still  another  poet  was 
at  Windsor  later,  the  unfortunate  Earl  of  Surrey, 
who,  after  enjoying  its  gaiety,  was  afterwards 
imprisioned  there — 

"  Where  each  sweet  place  returns  a  tasle  full  sour ; 
The  large  green  courls  where  we  were  wont  to  hove, 
With  eyes  cast  up  unto  the  Maiden's  Tower, 
With  tasy  sighs,  such  as  folk  draw  in  love." 

Meanwhile  the  Castle  was  developing  its- 
greater  glories.  Edward  IV.,  who  was  buried 
at  Windsor  with  his  queen,  built  St.  George's 
Chapel,  the  most  splendid  ecclesiastical  work  of 
its  time,  running  east  and  west  through  the 
midst  of  the  Lower  Ward,  and  en- 
riched and  enlarged  the  collegiate 
foundation.  Henry  VII.,  who  at  one 
time  purposed  to  be  buried  there, 
made  glorious  the  chapel  with  the 
splendid  groining,  which  makes  magni- 
ficent the  choir.  There  is  not  space  to 
describe  here  the  many  historical  in- 
cidents and  the  famous  courtly  festi- 
vals and  feats  of  arms  of  which 
Windsor  was  the  scene.  Henry  Vlll. , 
who  there  received  the  golden  rose  as 
"  Defender  of  the  Faith,"  completed 
tne  works  about  St.  George's  Chapel, 
and  built  the  imposing  gateway  named 
after  him,  by  which  the  Lower  Ward 
is  entered,  between  the  Salisbury 
Tower, at  the  south-western  angle,  and 
the  Garter  House.  When  danger 
threatened  Edvva'-d  VI.  at  Hampton 
Court,  Somerset  carried  him  for  safety 


I^VINDSOR. 


77 


to  Windsor,  but  the  castle  bears  no  mark  of  his 
time.  Elizabeth  did  much  for  the  castle  by 
reclaiming  the  rugged  steep  and  constructing 
the  North  Terrace,  from  which  there  is  such  a 
superb  prospect  over  the  Thames.  She  built 
also  her  "Gallery,"  where  it  is  pleasant  to 
think  Shakespeare  may  have  produced  "  The 
Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,"  and  spent  much 
time  at  the  Castle.  The  Stuarts  were  often  at 
Windsor,  but  it  was  garrisoned  for  the  Parlia- 
ment, when  St.  George's  Chapel  was  stripped 
and  other  damage  done.  Charles  II.  erected 
his  "Star"  Building  on  the  North  Terrace, 
where  rooms  wtre  adorned  by  Verrio,  who 
even  disfigured  St.  George's  Chapel.     Better 


enlargement.  Sir  Jeffrey  Wyattville  took 
charge  of  the  work,  and  cont  nued  it  unt  1  his 
death.  The  most  conspicuous  change  was  the 
raising  of  the  great  Round  Tower  to  a  lottier 
height,  whereby,  it  must  be  confessed,  the 
Castle  has  gained  in  nobility  of  aspect.  Many 
excrescences  were  removed,  and  externally 
the  Caste  assumed  an  appearance  of  unifor- 
mity. Various  towers  were  enlarged  and  raised, 
practically  the  whole  of  the  Upper  Ward  was 
reconstructed,  additional  state  rooms  being 
built,  and  the  suite  of  private  apartments  com- 
pleted. 

Such  has  been  the  brief  history  of  the  famous 
Castle  to  which  our  wandering  has  brought  us. 


The  Dean's  Qoisters. 


Reieote. 


work  was  the  extending  of  the  Terrace  along 
the  east  front,  and  the  planting  in  the  park. 

Many  scenes  of  the  Revolution  of  1688  were 
enacted  at  Windsor,  though  William  111.  liked 
Hampton  Court  better.  Windsor  Park,  how- 
ever, owes  much  of  its  foliage  to  him,  and  in 
particular  the  great  and  far-famed  Long  Walk. 
Though  Anne  was  often  at  Windsor,  and 
employed  Sir  James  Thornhill  to  carry  on  the 
work  of  Verrio,  the  Castle  declined  in  royal 
favour.  George  111.  lived  his  plain  and  unosten- 
tatious life,  which  has  been  so  often  described, 
at  the  Queen's  Lodge  at  Windsor,  near  where 
the  royal  stables  are. 

His  successor,  who  often  retired  to  the 
Castle,  procured  a  grant  from  Parliament  for 
its  restoration.  It  had,  indeed,  become  neces- 
sary to  remove  incongruities,   and  make  some 


Much  as  some  changes  may  be  regretted,  the 
more  recent  work  has  lifted  the  royal  dwelling 
from  the  state  of  neglect  into  which  it  had 
fallen,  and  has  swept  away  many  of  its  dis- 
figurements. During  the  reign  of  Queen 
Victoria  this  good  work  has  been  continued. 
The  Castle  has  grown  more  beautiful,  and  it 
has  received  the  gorgeous  enrichment  of  the 
Albert  Memorial  Chapel,  which  will  ever  as- 
sociate with  Windsor  the  memory  of  the  late 
Prince  Consort. 

We  now  understand  the  triple  character  of 
the  Castle  buildings,  which  extend  some  1,500 
feet  east  and  west  along  the  crest.  We  have 
ascended  the  Castle  Hill,  by  the  Queen's 
statue,  and  enter  beneath  the  arch  of  Henry 
VllL's  Gateway.  Glorious  is  the  architectural 
character  of  the  Lower  Ward  which  lies  before 


78 


THE    THAMES   H^LUSTRATED. 


us.  The  noble  length  ot  St. 
George's  Chapel,  with  its  splen- 
did projecting  chapels,  its  rich 
windows,  pinnacled  and  tlying 
buttresses,  turrets  and  cresting, 
is  there.  Below  is  the  beautiful 
opening  of  the  quaint  Horseshoe 
Cloisters,  with  the  Curfew 
Tower  dominating  the  scene, 
while  to  the  left  rise  tlie  Garter 
and  Salishuiy  Towers.  Further 
up  rises  the  massive  strength  of 
the  Round  Tower.  On  the 
right  the  picturesque  range  of 
the  Mil.tary  Knights'  Houses 
faces  the  ecclesiastical  pile. 

Exceediiigly  quaint  are  the 
Horseshoe  Cloisters,  where  the 
lay  clerks  of  St. George's  Chapel 
reside,  bu.:'t  on  the  plan  of  a  ,.J,^ 
fetterlock,  which  was  a  badge 
of  Edward  IV.  There  is  a  rarely  pictures- 
que charm  about  these  old  timber  and  brick 
dwellings,  ably  restored  by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott, 
which  face  the  west  front  of  the  chapel. 
Here  is  the  entrance  to  the  Curfew,  or 
Clewer  Tower,  that  strong  structure  of  Henry 
HI.,  recently,  like  the  Garter  Tower,  refaced 
with  stone.  Here  the  17th  and  i8th  century 
bells  ring  out  joyously  on  festive  occasions, 
and  toll  mournfully  when  sorrow  touches  the 
Throne.  Below,  there  is  a  vaulted  chamber, 
22  feet  in  diameter,  with  walls  some  13  feet 
thick,  deeply  recessed  and  loop-holed.  Beyond 
the  fine  ascent  to  the  chapel,  and  by  a  memorial 
cross,  we  reach  the  Library  Terrace,  a  narrow 
outlook  over  the  battlements,  with  the  pretty 
old  town  below,  the  river,  Eton,  and  a  splendid 
landscape  of  the  country  bordering  the  Thames. 
Immediately  on  the  left  is  the  College  Library, 
with   a    valuable    collection    of    classics    and 


Photo.,  Frith, 


The  Q-.-een's  Audienci  Chaniter. 


Rcif^att^ 


divinity,  standing  where  was  the  King's  Hall' 
of  Henry  111.,  while,  on  the  right,  is  the 
school  in  which  the  choristers  are  educated, 
with  a  panelled  schoolroom  and  large  dining 
hall.  The  Canons'  Houses  run  further  east- 
ward along  the  crest.  Many  an  artist  has 
found  delight  in  depicting  the  quaint  and 
imposing  buildings  that  are  grouped  hereabout. 
But  that  superb  monument  of  ecclesiastical 
art,  the  Chapel  of  St.  George,  now  claims  our 
attention.  For  centuries  a  chapel  had  stood  on 
this  spot,  dedicated  to  St.  Edward  the  Confes- 
sor. The  founder  of  the  Chapel  of  St.  George 
was  Edward  ill.,  who  conceived  a  monument 
of  splendour  that  should  be  fitted  for  the  in- 
stallation of  the  illustrious  Order  of  the  Garter, 
His  chapel  stood  for  a  century,  when  the 
present  imposing  structure  took  its  place 
in  the  time  of  Edward  IV.  It  bears  the  impress 
of  uniformity,  and  is,  perhaps,  the  most  per- 
fectly complete  example  of  its 
time.  Externally,  the  great  flight 
of  steps  which  leads  to  the  west 
door,  adds  to  the  impressive 
effect  of  the  lofty  window,  a 
splendid  example  of  masonry 
work,  filling  nearly  the  whole, 
of  the  west  front. 

The  chapel  is  usually  entered 
by  the  south  door,  however, 
which  has  the  semi-octagonal 
bay-like  transept,  inclosing  the 
Bray  Chapel,  on  its  right.  This 
is  the  place  where  the  organ- 
screen  separates  the  nave  from 
the  choir.  Turning,  then,  to  the 
west,  the  extreme  richness  of 
the  chapel  is  at  once  apparent. 
The  whole  conception  is,  in  fact^ 
one  of  unsurpassed  splendour. 
Rti^att      -j-]-|g  great  west  window,  filling- 


WINDSOR 


79 


the  end  of  the  nave,  with  its  sixteen  lis^hts  rising 
in  five  stages,  suffuses  the  chapel  with  ricli 
and  mellow  light  through  its  gorgeous  panes  of 
old  stained  glass.  Nothing  detracts  from  the 
harmony  of  the  structure,  for  the  west  window 
is  but  part  tf  an  elaborate  desii  n  carried  out 
in  the  walls,  and  enframing  the  windows  and 
doors,  while  the  columns  spread  out  into  the 
ribs  and  compartments  of  the  exceedingly  rich 
fan  groining  of  the  roof. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  choir  it  may  be  well 
to  note  the  various  chapels  of  the  nave.  The 
Beaufort  Chapel  is  a  bold  feature  at  the  south- 
western angle  of  the  chapel.  It  was  founded 
by  Charles  Somerset,  Earl  of  Worcester, 
1526,  but  is  now  a  memorial  of  the  late 
Duke  of  Kent,  and  contains  an  alabaster  tomb 
designed  by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott,  with  effigy  by 
Sir  i-dgar  Boehm.  The  old  Urswick  Chapel 
opposite,  at  the  west-end  of  the  north  aisle, 
contains  the  elaborate  monument  of  Princess 
Charlotte,  which,  unfortunately,  is  in  the 
feeble  taste  of  a  bygone  day,  with  a  cenotaph 
of  her  husband,  Leopold  1.,  King  of  the 
Belgians.  '11..  Bray  Chapel,  near  the  south 
door,  which  projects  with  five  sides  of  an 
octagon  as  the  transept,  form  a  chief  feature 
oT  the  chapel  externally.  It  was  founded  by 
Sir  Reginald  Bray,  to  whom  is  ascribed  the 
groined  roof  of  the  choir,  and  who  is  here 
buried  without  monument.     The  corresponding 


Rutland  Chapel,  on  the  north  side,  contains 
some  interesting  memorials. 

The  illustrations  which  accompany  this  work 
show,  better  than  words  can,  the  splendid 
character  of  the  choir.  The  restoration  by  Sir 
Gilbert  Scott  has  brought  back  the  glorious 
edifice  to  the  state  its  builders  contemplated. 
Through  the  evil  taste  of  a  former  time  the 
mullions  of  the  east  window,  which  is  of  fifteen 
lights  in  three  main  compartments,  had  been 
partially  removed  to  give  place  to  a  transparent 
painting  of  the  Resurrection,  by  Benjamin 
West.  Now  fine  modern  glass,  a  memorial 
of  the  Prince  Consort,  fills  the  lights,  grouping 
harmoniously  with  a  beautiful  carved  reredos 
designed  by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott.  The  whole 
choir  is  exceedingly  rich,  with  its  dark  carved 
oak  stalls  of  the"  Knights  of  the  Garter,  the 
banner,  surcoat,  helmet  and  sword  of  each 
hanging  above,  the  stalls  of  the  sovereign  and 
princes  of  the  blood  beneath  the  organ  gallery, 
the  magnificently  carved  Royal  Closet  over  the 
arch  on  the  south  side,  and  that  near  it  for 
members  of  the  household. 

Under  the  Royal  Closet  the  monume.it  of 
Edward  IV.  remains, despoiled  of  its  adornments, 
but  preserving  an  admirable  iron  screen  assig- 
ned to  Quentin  Matsys,  the  celebrated  smith. 
Beneath  the  black  and  white  marble  pavement 
is  the  vault  containing  the  remains  of  Henry 
VIII.,  Jane   Seymour,   Charles  1.  and  others. 


Photo.,   /'rilh. 


The  Throne  Roooi. 


X<4pnlfc 


So 


THE    THAMES  HJMSTRATED 


Phafei.,  Frith. 


St,  George's  H. 


At  the  east  end  of  the  south  side  is  the  Lincoln 
Chapel,  corresponding  to  the  Beaufort  Chapel 
at  the  west  end,  where  stands  the  magnificent 
altar  tomb  of  Edward,  Earl  of  Lincoln,  Lord 
High  Admiral,  and  a  statesman  of  Elizabeth's 
days,  while  opposite,  on  the  north  side,  is  the 
Hastings  Chapel.  Forbearing  to  describe  the 
other  monuments  and  enrichments  of  this  com- 
pletely harmonious  structure,  we  leave  it,  to 
linger  a  while  beneath  the  cool  and  beautiful 
arches  of  the  Dean's  Cloisters,  built  by  Edward 
111.,  which  lie  north-east  of  the  Chapel.  About 
this  green  space,  and  at  the  east  end  of  the 
Chapel,  remain  traces  of  earlier  work,  and  there 
is  a  passage  hence  to  a  strong  postern  and  the 
Hundred  Steps,  which  led  down  to  the  Eton  Road. 
On  that  side  too,  are  the  Deanery,  built  by  Dean 
Urswick  in  1500,  and  the  Winchester  Tower. 

But,  if  St.  George's  Chapel  is  rich,  the  Albert 
Memorial  Chapel,  which  is  to  the  east  of  it,  on 
the  south  side  of  the 
Dean'sCloisiers,is  even 
richer  still,  though  in  a 
style  quite  distinct  and, 
in  a  measure,  modern. 
Here  Henry  VII.  once 
proposed  to  be  buried, 
here  Wolsey  planned, 
and  here  the  Long 
Parliament  demolished. 
From  a  "Tomb  House  " 
of  George  HI.  and  his 
lamily,  the  Chapel,  un- 
der the  inspiration  of 
Queen  Victoria,  was 
lifted  by  Sir  Gilbert 
Scott,  with  the  adorn- 
ments of  Baron  Triqueti, 
into  splendid  memorial 
of  the  Prince  Consort. 
Extraordinary    richness 

-'  Photo,,  Frith. 


or  ma  erial,  skill  of  the  highest 
order,  and  lavish  adornment  of 
every  appropriate  kind  have 
contributed  to  make  the  Chapel 
resplendent  and  worthy  of  its 
object.  Here  is  the  magnificent 
marble  cenotaph  of  the  Prince 
— who  is  buried  at  Frogmore 
— With  his  eftigy  in  armour, 
carved  in  white  marble;  here, 
t  )o,  the  tombs  and  effigies  of 
tie  Dukes  of  Clarence  and 
Albany.  The  lower  walls  are 
panelled  in  an  original  manner 
with  subjects  from  Old  Testa- 
ment history,  in  inlays  of  various 
marbles.  The  surrounding  mo- 
saics and  medallions  (the  latter 
by  Miss  Durant)  are  most-ump- 
tuous.  From  this  panelling  of 
walls  and  apse  the  ribs  rise 
above  into  the  beautiful  fan  tracery  of  the 
roof,  where  is  incrustation  of  Salviati  mosaics. 
The  side  windows  illustrate  heraldically  the 
ancestry  of  the  Prince  Consort,  and  the  east 
windows  depict  the  Passion. 

We  are  now  free  to  betake  ourselves  to  the 
Round  Tower — not  by  any  means  round,  by 
the  way — which  almost  fills  the  Middle  Ward. 
It  stands  upon  an  artificial  mound  of  much 
greater  antiquity  than  itself,  and,  wirh  its 
elevation  of  148  feet  above  the  quadrangle, 
is  a  superb  position  for  surveying  the  castle 
below,  and  a  vast  panorama,  it  is  asserted,  of 
a  dozen  counties.  Edward  111.  built  in  haste  for 
his  chivalric  purpose.  His  was  a  squat  struc- 
ture, its  height  less  than  half  its  diameter, 
which  is  102  teet  at  the  broadest  and  93  feet  at 
the  narrowest  part.  Wyattville  raised  it  in- 
geniously, not  burdening  the  old  foundations 
with  a  new  load,  but  building  up  trom   within. 


Queen  Elizateth's  Ga'.eway. 


IVINDSOR 


Si 


Pfuta.,  J.  S.  Cat/otd. 


The  East  Front  and  Garden. 


Hampton  IVick, 


SO  that  there  may  be  said  to  be  two  structures, 
though  both  are  faced  with  flints  and  indistin- 
guishable from  one  another. 

From  this  elevation  we  look  over  our  glorious 
prospect  of  the  Thames,  and  down  to  the  Quad- 
rangle of  the  Upper  Ward.  On  the  left  is  the 
so-called  "  Norman  Gate,"  which  is  really  a 
work  of  William  of  Wykeham  (1356-62),  wiih 
the  famous  Library  just  beyond  it.  Then, 
further,  between  the  Quadrangle  and  the 
Great  North  Terrace,  extend  the  State  Apart- 
ments, in  the  "  Star  Building  "  of  Charles  II., 
which  are  approached  by  this  Norman  Gate 
and  the  small  court  beyond  it.  Opposite  to 
us  are  the  Private  Apartments,  with  the  royal 
drawing,  dining,  reception,  and  throne  rooms, 
which  range  along  the  East  Terrace,  and  look 
over  the  beautiful  sunk  garden.  On  the  right, 
are  the  apartments  for  visitors,  officials,  and 
others.  George  Ill.'s  Gateway  is  in  the  middle 
of  this  range,  leading  out  to  the  Great  Park, 
the  Long  Walk,  and  to  Frogmore. 

We  shall  not  enter  here  upon  any  minute 
description  of  the  State  Apartments.  There 
are  guide  books  which  explain  sufficiently  well 
their  gorgeous  character.  The  Vandyck  Room 
isfamous  for  itssplendidand  extensive  collection 
of  works  of  the  master.  Nowhere  else  can  he  be 
so  well  studied.  There  are  pictures  of  Charles  1. 
and  his  family.  King  Charles  on  horseback. 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  Prince  Charles,  Mary, 
Duchess  of  Richmond,  Venetia,  Lady  Digby, 
the  Second  Duke  of  Buckingham,  Vandyck 
himself,  and  many  more.  TheZucarelli  Room, 
or  State  Drawing  Room,  has  nine  landscapes 
and  religious  subjects  by  that  master.  Passmg 
through  the  State  Ante-Room,  with  a  ceiling  by 
Verrio,  and  fine  examples  of  the  work  of 
Grinling  Gibbons,  the  great  Waterloo  Chamber 
is  reached.  It  is  entirely  the  creation  of 
Wyattville,  and  is  adorned  with  imposing 
portraits  of  statesmen  and  of  those  who  took' 
part  in  the  great  war,  chiefly  by  Sir  Thomas 
Lawrence.  The  Presence  Chamber  or  Grand 
'deception    Room   is    notable  for    its   glorious 


Gobelin  tapestries,  representing  the  history  of 
Jason  and  Medea.  St.  George's  Hall,  which 
Wyattville  fitted  for  festivals  of  the  Order  of 
the  Garter  and  State  banquets,  is  a  magnificent 
apartment,  200  feet  long,  34  feet  broad  and  32 
feet  high,  its  ceiling  heraldically  emblazoned, 
its  walls  hung  with  portraits  of  Stuart  and  later 
sovereigns,  and  oaken  galleries  for  musicians 
at  each  end.  The  Guard  Chamber  is  famous 
for  its  armour  and  antique  weapons,  and  for 
many  objects  of  historic  interest  within  its 
walls.  The  Queen's  Presence  and  Audience 
Chambers  have  ceilings  by  Verrio  and  excel- 
lent Gobelin  tapestry,  and  upon  their  walls  are 
hung  many  pictures  of  interest.  The  Queen's 
Private  Apartments,  are  a  right  royal  suite,  but 
must  not  be  described  here. 

Leaving,  then,  much  behind  us  within  the 
wards  and  chambers  of  Windsor  Castle — there 
are,  indeed,  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  where- 
of we  cannot  speak — we  betake  ourselves  t& 
the  famous  North  Terrace,  which  extends  from 
the  Winchester  Tower  to  the  Brunswick  Tower,, 
and  is  1 ,870  feet  in  length,  there  to  tike  a  part- ' 
ing  look  over  the  splendid  country  below,   a.' 
prospect  which  embraces  the  Home   Park,  the  : 
Thames,  with  Eton   by  its  side,  Stoke  Park,.] 
Harrow,  and  hill  upon  hill  fading  into  the  far 
distance.     The  East  Terrace  and  gardens  have - 
other  beauties.     The  tower  on  the  north  is  that ' 
ot  the  Prince  ^f  Wales,  and  the  Victoria  Tower 
is   at  the  other  end  of  the  range,  while  the 
Chester     and    Clarence    Towers    intervene. 
They  relieve  the  monotony  of  the  great  fa9ade, 
of  wh  ch  the  windows  look  out  on  these  beauti- 
ful gardens,  laid  out  by  order   of  George  IV. 

There  remains  to  stroll  in  the  famous  Great 
Park,  with  its  magnificent  avenue  of  the  Long 
Walk,  three  miles  in  length,  flanked  by  its 
doable  lines  of  glorious  elms,  and  termin- 
ating in  the  heigiit  of  Snow  Hill,  which  is 
crested  by  Westmacott's  equestrian  statue  of 
George  111.  There  are  other  wonderfixi 
avenues  here,  and  glorious  groups  of  greenery, 
as  in  Queen    Anne's    Ride   and   the    famous 


82 


THE    THAMES   HLUSTRATEE 


Rhododendron  Walk,  where  you  may  stroll 
for  a  mile  through  shrubs  in  splendid  flower 
in  the  early  summer.  There  are  celebrated 
trees  that  have  witnessed  the  forest  diversions 
of  ancient  kings.  Heme's  Oak  is  green  no 
more,  but  a  youthful  tree  marks  the  spot. 
Thus  says  Shakespeare,  in  the  "  Merry  Wives 
of  Windsor"— 

"  There  is  an  old  tale  goes,  that  Heme  the  Hunter, 
Sometime  a  keeper  here  in  Windsor  Forest, 
Doth  all  the  winter-time,  at  still  midnight, 
Walk  round  about  an  oak,  with  great  ragg'd  horns; 
And  there  he  blasts  the  tree,  and  takes  the  cattle; 
And  makes  milch-kine  yield  blood,  and  shakes  a  chain 

In  a  most  hideous  and  dreadful  manner. 

«  *  *  « 

Marry,  this  is  our  device  ; 
That  Falstaff  at  that  oak  shall  meet  with  us. 
Disguised  like  Heme,  with  huge  horns  on  his  head." 

All  the  park  is  full  of  legend  and  history. 
There  are  fallow  deer  and  wild  boars,  with  other 
game  in  plenty.  Go  where  you  will,  whether 
to  look  at  Cumberland  Lodge,  the  Chapel  Royal 
of  All  Saints,  the  famous  grape-vine,  which 
rivals  that  of  Hampton  Court,  or  the  glades  or 
depths  of  the  forest ;  or  wander  further  to 
visit  the  lovely  region  of  Virginia  Water ;  and 
you  will  say  that  the  surroundings  of  Windsor 
are  worthy  of  the  royal  abode. 

There  is  Frogmore,  too,  beloved  of  Queen 
Charlotte,  and  famed  for  the  Prince  Consort's 
Mausoleum ;  and  there  is  the  great  Home  Park, 
which  lies  below  the  North  Terrace  of  the 
Castle,  flanking  the  river,  as  all  lovers  of  the 


Thames  know,  with  its  beauteous  woodland, 
and  full  of  interesting  and  charming  scenes. 
Here  are  the  Royal  Kennels,  the  aviary,  and 
the  dairy.  As  to  the  Royal  Farms,  they  are 
celebrated  among  all  agriculturalists  and 
breeders.  These  were  very  largely  de- 
veloped under  the  care  and  superintendence 
of  the  Prince  Consort.  There  are  also  the  Royal 
Mews  near  the  Castle,  visited  by  very  many. 
The  Royal  borough  itself  has  little  to  offer 
of  interest  except  the  Castle  about  which  it 
grew.  The  needs  and  protection  of  the 
King  drew  strangers,  who  built  about  his 
walls.  But  Windsor  has  a  great  charm  for 
all  river  men.  It  is  one  of  those  places 
where  it  is  pleasant  to  break  the  journey- 
ing, a  place  moreover  that  presents,  at 
certain  seasons,  particular  attractions.  Eton 
is  its  fascinating  neighbour,  and,  between  the 
river-loving  Eton  boys,  who  are  famed  for 
things  aquatic,  and  the  old  royal  borough, 
there  is  never-failing  opportunity  for  enjoying 
the  brightness  of  river-life  and  its  beautiful 
accompaniments,  as  there  is,  in  these  historic 
scenes,  of  witnessing  some  of  the  most  pro- 
foundly interesting  places  in  our  supremely 
interesting  land.  Windsor,  too,  has  gathered 
new  and  enduring  charm  from  having  been 
the  favoured  residence  of  a  queen  who  has 
endeared  herself  to  all  Englishmen.  With 
this  inspiring  thought,  let  the  river-wanderer, 
return  to  his  skiff  by  the  bridge. 


Windsor  trom  the  Bridge. 


Rtigait* 


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ST.  GEORGE'S  CHAPEL, 

THE  NAVE,  LOOKING  WEST 


I   o„    , 


i'ho:o     Frith,  Reigatt, 


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THE  ALBERT  MEMORIAL  CHAPEL, 
LOOKING  WEST. 


(  ■II  ) 


Photo.    Frith,  Rei^att^ 


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rhoto.,   y.  S.  Catford, 


Eton  from  the  River. 


Hainpto't  If'ickt 


XCEPT   that  the 
Windsor  bade 


ancient  towers   of 
us  ascend  the   regal 
hill,  we  might,  in  our  river  journey- 
ing, have  explored  Eton  first.     The 
two   places — the   Royal  Castle  and 
the  royal   foundation — are   insepar- 
bound  together.     In  one  has  dwelt  the 
out    of    the    other   has   come,    as 


ably 
Monarch 

Canning  said,  au  uninterrupted  succession  of 
men  qualified,  more  or  less  eminently,  for  the 
performance  of  Parliamentary  and  official 
duties ;  men,  we  may  say,  fitted  to  fulfil  all 
the  duties  of  statesmanship  ;  empire-builders, 
like  Pitt  and  Wellesley  ;  soldiers,  too,  of  whom 
it  is  no  great  hyberbole  to  say  that  the  famous 
victories  of  our  arms  have  been  won  in  the 
Eton  Playing  Fields.  Let  us,  therefore,  leave 
our  boat  at  the  bridge  a  while,  and  bend  our 
steps  towards  the  famous  school.  But,  before 
doing  so,  we  pause  to  note  that  hereabout  is  a 
chief  centre  of  river  life. 

Eton,  itself,  has  set  a  stamp  of  popularity 
upon  aquatic  skill.  No  grey-beard,  in  these 
pleasant  reaches,  seems  too  old  to  handle  a 
scull,  no  child  too  young  to  play  with  an  oar. 
Every  kind  of  river  craft  is  to  be  seen  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Windsor.  There  is  that 
aristocrat  of  the  Thames — the  small  private 
launch — gliding  through  a  crowd  of  small  craft, 
with  the  well-working  double-sculling  skiff,  the 
gig,  the  canoe,  and  the  lazy  punt,  the  house-boat 
bedecked  with  flowers,  the  College  eight  and 
the  Monarch  ten-oar  There  are  camps  ashore, 
and  stalwart  men,  and  ladies  in  summer  attire, 
bringing  the  touch  of  human  charm,  in  these 


craft  afloat.  On  the  broad  reaches  infinite 
skill  is  shown  in  the  continual  tacking  and  the 
rounding  of  the  mark-buoys  with  the  small 
white-winged  sailing  craft  which  have  become 
so  popular  on  the  Upper  Thames,  and  nothing 
surely  can  be  prettier  than  to  witness  \.  flight 
of  such  craft  upon  the  silver  stream  against  the 
dark  background  of  wood  or  greensward  be- 
tween the  locks.  Presently  our  journeying 
will  carry  us  to  Maidenhead,  where  is  the 
head-quarters  of  punting,  that  delightful 
exercise  of  river  skill  ;  and  even  the  flat- 
bottomed  craft,  which  once  depended  wholly 
upon  the  pole,  will  take  to  themselves  wings 
sometimes. 

But  it  is  now  time  that  we  should  wend  our 
way  towards  Eton  College,  the  place  whereof 
the  memory,  and  the  toast  "  Floreat  Etona," 
are  so  potent,  wherever  Etonians  dwell  through- 
out the  world,  to  recall  those  enchanting  scenes, 
"  redolent  of  youth  and  joy,  to  breathe  a  second 
spring."  The  famous  lines  of  Gray,  which 
utter  the  affectionate  thoughts  of  many,  will 
not  be  forgotten  here. 

"  Say,  Father  Thames — for  thou  hast  seen. 

Full  many  a  sprightly  race 
Disporting  on  thy  raargent  green, 

The  paths  of  pleasure  trace — 
Who  foremost  now  delight  to  cleave 
With  pliant  arms  thy  glassy  wave  ? 
The  captive  linnet  which  enthral  ? 

What  idle  progeny  succeed 

To  chase  the  rolling  circle's  speed. 
Or  urge  the  flying  ball  ?" 

Of  Eton  itself  no  complete  history  or  des- 
cription can,  of  course,  be  given  here.     The 


g8 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


foundation  of  Henry  VI.  has  so  famous  a  record, 
and  is,  in  itself,  so  interesting  a  place,  that 
volumes  have  been  devoted  to  it.  It  was 
designed  by  its  founder  to  be  the  proudest 
memorial  of  his  munificence,  and  the  surest 
testimony  to  his  zeal  for  religion.  Fuller  says 
that  the  king  was  fitted  better  for  the  cowl 
thai,  the  crown,  and  was  of  so  easy  a  nature 
"  that  he  might  well  have  exchanged  a  pound 
of  patience  for  an  ounce  of  valour."  He  had 
been  brought  up  among  the  studious  men  of 
his  time,  and  his  uncle,  Humphrey,  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  though  we  think  of  him  mostly  as 
a  strong  and  turbulent  politician,  is  to  this  very 
day  commemorated  in  the  solemn  bidding- 
prayer  of  the  Universitv  of  Oxford.     We  may 


never  fully  embodied,  and  it  may  be  said  that 
the  Cellar,  the  Hall  over  it,  the  Pantry  and 
the  Kitchen,  are  the  only  portions  of  the 
College  that  correspond  to  the  provisions  of 
his  "will."  The  Chapel  was  to  have  had  a 
great  nave,  with  aisles,  but  the  choir  only  was 
completed,  as  it  still  stands,  with  some  addi- 
tions at  the  west  end,  a  very  tine  and  imposing 
structure  resembling  some  of  the  College 
Chapels  at  the  Universities. 

We  approach  Eton  College  over  Barne's 
Pool  Bridge,  after  which  all  may  be  said  to 
be  collegiate.  The  way  is  narrow,  but  it 
broadens  out,  beyond  Keate's  Lane  and  the 
Upper  School,  to  a  green  space,  flanked  by  the 
masters'   house-,   and  then  divides,   with  the 


Eton  College 

see  how  much  better  Henry  applied  the 
revenues  of  the  Alien  Priories  which  had  been 
suppressed  than  did  the  latest  Henry,  those 
which  fell  to  his  rapacious  hand.  The  purpose 
of  Henry  Vi.  was  to  do  for  Cambridge  what 
Wykeham  had  done  for  Oxford.  There  was 
1.0  be  a  "  College  of  the  Blessed  Marie  of  Eton 
beside  Wyndesore,"  which  should  be  even 
superior  to  Wykeham's  foundation.  The 
monies  for  the  endowment  came  chiefly  from 
the  revenues  of  the  monasteries  of  Fecamp, 
Fontenoy,-Yvry,  Saint  Etienne,  Caen,  and  the 
famous  Benedictine  House  of  Bee.  The  king 
took  abundant  pains  for  the  glorifying  of  the 
structure.  He  laid  down  the  minute  instruc- 
tions in  regard  to  the  material  employed, 
and  the  builders  had  punishment  for  such 
offences  as  "looking  about,"  playing  at  their 
work  or  "chiding."      The  king's  dream  was 


Chapel. 

New  Schools  and  the  Fives  Courts  in  the  angle. 
The  old  College  buildings  are  approached  by 
the  celebrated  Elm  Walk.  The  Upper  School 
faces  the  road,  and  the  entrance  to  the  Quad- 
rangle, or  school-yard,  is  through  a  gateway 
below.  In  the  midst  of  the  square  is  a  bronze 
statue  of  the  founder ;  on  the  right  stands  the 
Chapel ;  the  Lower  School  ranges  on  the  left, 
with  the  well  remembered  Long  Chamber  of 
old  Etonians,  now  broken  up  into  smaller 
rooms ;  while  the  Provost's  Lodgings  are 
opposite.  Facing  us,  is  the  great  Clock  Tower, 
an  imposing  feature  of  the  Quadrangle,  which 
resembles  a  like  tower  we  saw  at  Hampton 
Court.  Beneath  its  archway  access  is  gained 
to  the  second  Quadrangle,  which  is  smaller, 
and  has  a  cloister. 

The   Chapel,   upon   the   south   side   of  the 
school-yard,  is  the  chief  feature  of  the  College, 


ETON. 


99 


Phofs.,  Fritk. 


Eton  College  Chapel,  looking  East. 


Rei£are. 


and  resembles,  in  a  general  way,  the  Chapel  of 
King's  College,  Cambridge.  In  former  times 
it  was  much  disfigured,  but  it  was  somewhat 
elaborately  restored  between  1846  and  i860. 
Not  everything  that  was  done  can  commend 
itself  to  the  present  day,  for  the  "  restoration  " 
involved  the  partial  destruction,  completed  by 
concealment,  of  the  mural  decorations  above 
the  stalls,  which  represented  the  highest  skill, 
in  that  class  of  work,  of  the  time  of  Henry  VI. 
The  paintings  depicted  many  subjects  from  the 
"  Legenda  Sanctorum"  and  the  "  Gesta 
Romanorum."  Fortunately,  at  the  last  moment, 
outline  drawings  of  them  were  made.  The 
whole  effect  of  the  Chapel  is  excellent ;  with 
its  lofty  roof,  its  fine  modern  windows,  its 
beautiful  stalls,  and  many  other  interesting 
features.  The  little  Chantry 
Chapel  on  the  north  side  was 
erected  in  the  reign  of  Henry 
VU.  by  Provost  Lupton,  and  is 
a  very  charming  example  of  the 
time.  Over  the  door,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  fashion  of  his 
day,  his  rebus  may  be  seen,  in 
the  shape  of  a  wine-tun  with  the 
letters  "  Lup  "  upon  it.  The 
monuments,  again,  are  very 
interesting,  and  include  those  of 
many  Provosts  and  famous 
Etonians.  Very  beautiful  also 
is  the  new  screen  of  Caen 
stone,  which  was  erected  in 
memory  of  the  Etonians  who 
fell  in  the  Afghan  and  South 
African  campaigns.  Its  Tudor 
arch,   which    is    very    greatly 


enriched  with  mouldings,  crockets  and  a  finial, 
rises  to  a  panelled  entablature,  and  is  flanked 
by  octagonal  turrets,  with  elaborate  carvings 
and  the  arms  of  those  commemorated. 

The  most  imposing  building  in  the  smaller 
Quadrangle,  or,  as  Etonians  call  it,  the  Green 
Yard,  is  the  College  Hall,  which,  like  the 
Chapel,  has  been  restored,  its  east  window 
depicts  scenes  in  the  life  of  Henry  VI.  ;  there 
is  a  dais  at  the  upper  end,  with  enriched  panel- 
ling behind  it,  and  a  carved  canopy  stand- 
ing out  from  the  wall ;  as  in  the  great  Hall  at 
Hampton  Court,  there  is  a  beautiful  bay  open- 
ing out  from  the  dais,  making  a  charming  feature 
externally  ;  the  open  timber  roof  and  the 
panelled  walls  are  excellent,  and  the  walls  are 
hung  with  portraits  of  famous  Etonians.     On 


PhoiQ.,  Friiu 


Keate^s  Lane^  Eton. 


Reigatu 


lOO 


THE   THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Photo.,   J.  .9.  Cat/ord. 


Surly  HalL 


Hampton   tVick. 


the  south  side  of  tlie  Hall  is  ihe  Library,  which 
has  a  noble  collection  of  documents  and 
printed  books,  and  is  very  rich  in  Oriental 
manuscripts. 

The  visitor  to  Eton  will  find  abundant  in- 
terest in  these  Quadrangles  and  the  many 
buildings  that  surround  them,  not  to  be  here 
further  described.  He  will  walk  where  famous 
men  have  walked  before  him  ;  he  will  follow 
them  in  their  pleasures  and  occupations  as 
boys,  and  he  will  trace  the  names  which  they 
have  cut  deeply  in  the  walls.  The  New  Build- 
ings, which  stand  north  of  the  College,  were 
erected  about  the  time  when  the  Chanel  and 
Hall  were  restored.  They  are  of  red  brick, 
with  stone   dressings,   resembling  in  tiiis  the 


Photo.,  frith. 


Cleaver 


College  itself  ;  though  Henry  had  designed  that 
the  Courts  should  be  constructed  of  "hard 
stone  of  Kent."  With  their  tall  angle  tower 
and  picturesque  chimneys  the  New  Buildings 
make  a  picturesque  group,  and  are  airy  and 
spacious  within. 

Many  changes  have  passed  over  Eton  since 
Henry  VI.  induced  William  de  Waynefleet,  the 
munificent  founder  of  Magdalen  College,  Ox- 
ford,  to   bring  to  Eton  his   five   fellows   and 
thirty-five   scholars    from   Winchester.      The 
Foundation  now  provides,  besides  the  Provost, 
for  a  Vice-Provost  and  six  other  Fellows,  the 
Head  Master,   Under   Master   and   others,   17 
lay  and  other  clerks,  70  King's  Scholars  and 
10  Choristf-rs  ;  and  there  are  over  700  scholars 
known  as  Oppidans,   many  of 
whom  live  with  the  masters  in 
the  town.    The  Provosts  of  Eton 
have  included  such  men  as  Sir 
Thomas  Smith    and  Sir    Henry 
Savile,  both  famous  scholars  of 
Elizabethan    times.    Sir    Henry 
Wotton,    whom    Isaac   Walton 
immortalised,  Sir  Francis  Rous, 
who   was    Provost   in     Puritan 
days,  and  others  not  less  cele- 
brated.    Among  Eton  Scholars 
have  been   such  men  as   Pitt, 
Walpole,  Fox,  Gray,  Canning, 
Hallam,    Wellington,    and    his 
brother  the  Marquis  Wellesley, 
and  other  statesmen  and  soldiers 
innumerable. 

There  are  interesting  figures. 
jt„sff        too,  in  the  list  of  Masters,  men 


ETON. 


lOI 


well  remembered,  on  more  accounts  than  one. 
There  was  Nicholas  Udall  (1534),  the  author 
of  "  Roister  Doister,"  first  of  modern  comedies, 
of  which  the  unique  copy  is  now  at  Eton. 
Thus  Tusser  speaks  of  him  in  his  "  Five 
Hundred  Points  of  Good  Husbandry  " — 

"From  Powles  I  went,  to  Aeton  sent, 
To  learne  straight  wayes,  the  Latin  phraise, 
Where  fiftie-three  stripes  given  to  me, 

at  once  I  had  : 
For  faut  but  small,  or  none  at  all, 
It  came  to  passe,  thus  beat  I  was  ; 
See,  Udall,  see,  the  mercy  of  thee, 
to  mee,  poor  lad  !" 

The  Eton  tradition  of  flogging  was  maintained 
by  William  Malim,  and,  after  a  milder  period, 
was  restored  by  the  notorious  Dr.  John  Keate, 
who  was  known  to  boast  that  he  had  flogged 
the  whole    bench    of    bishops.     In    his   time 


Eton  was  famous  even  in  the  last  century  for 
its  cricket,  but  cricket  may  be  played  any- 
where, while  the  water  festivals  of  the 
College  are  only  possible  upon  the  Thames. 
Yet  boating  was  not  formally  acknowledged 
before  1840,  while  now  the  College  Boat 
Club  is  celebrated,  and  the  Fourth  of  June 
Speech  Day,  when  the  memory  of  George 
111.,  whose  birthday  it  was,  is  honoured, 
has  long  been  a  very  famous  day  on  the 
river.  Then  the  College  boats  in  procession 
pull  up  from  the  Brocas  to  Surly  Hall,  about 
three  miles  up  the  stream,  and,  after  a  feast 
there,  return.  In  former  times  fancy  dresses 
were  worn  on  these  occasions,  each  bout 
having  its  varied  and  distinctive  uniform. 
Once  the  crew  of  trie  Monarch,  ten-oar,  the 
leading  boat,  made  a  sensation  by  appearing 


Photo.,  y.  S.  Cat/erd 


Monkey  Island. 


Haynplon  tVick. 


rebellion  was  rife  at  Eton,  and  "Floreat  Seditio" 
was  a  cry  sometimes  raised,  but  he  crushed 
the  outbursts  with  the  rod.  The  unhappy 
youth  who  sought  to  make  excuses  for  greater 
delinquencies  by  confessing  to  smaller  ones, 
was  confronted  by  the  remark,  "  Then  I'll  flog 
you  for  that."  There  was  a  spirit  of  adven- 
ture in  the  school  at  those  times  which  gave  a 
keen  zest  to  predatory  raids  into  Windsor  Little 
Park,  where  there  was  the  double  danger  of  being 
intercepted  by  an  Eton  master  and  a  royal  keeper. 
We  shall  turn  now  to  the  famous  Playing 
Fields,  which  border  the  Thames,  delightful  in 
themselves,  with  their  grand  old  elms  and 
broad  green  stretches,  and  ever  famous  through 
Gray's  verses,  who  loved  the  place — 

"  Whote  turf,  whose  shade,  whose  flowers  amorg 
Wanders  the  hoary  Thames  along 
His  silver,  winding  way." 


as  galley  slaves,  chained  to  their  oars,  and  on 
some  occasions  the  eager  rivalry  of  the  boys 
has  transformed  the  procession  into  a  bumpini^ 
race,  the  disputed  incidents  of  which  have  been 
known  to  be  fought  out  in  the  High  Street. 
Nowadays  each  boat  has  distinctive  badges 
and  decorations.  The  upper  boats  are  the 
Mor^arch,  ten-oar.  Victory,  and  Prince  of  Wales  ; 
the  lower  boats  the  Britannia,  Dreadnought, 
Hibernia,  St.  George,  Thetis,  Defiance,  and 
Alexandra  ;  and  the  coxwains  wear  the  uniform 
of  naval  officers.  It  is  a  high  festival,  on  which 
the  Eton  boy  receives  "  his  people,"  when  the 
toast  "  In  piam  memoriam  "  is  drunk,  and  the 
day  ends  with  fireworks  and  rejoicings. 

There  remains  only  to  speak  of  that  famous 
festival  of  Eton,  which  was  known  as  Montem, 
celebrated  every  third  year,  when  the  scholars, 
in  fancy  dress  and  martial  array,  marched  ad 


102 


THE    THAMES  U^LUSTRAIED. 


Pholo.,  Frith, 


Bray  Church. 


montem,  that  is  to  Salt  Hill,  a  small  elevation 
about  half-a-mile  beyond  Slough.  There  large 
and  fashionable  crowds  assembled,  and,  after  a 
ceremony,  the  "salting"  took  place,  by  way 
of  levying  contributions  throughout  the  neigh- 
bouring country  from  visitors  and  passers- 
by.  The  work  was  done  by  two  "Salt 
Bearers,"  assisted  by  "Scouts"  and  "Servi- 
tors," who  originally  gave  a  pinch  of  salt  in 
return  for  the  contribution,  but,  latterly  a  card 
bearing  a  Latin  inscription.  The  origin  of  the 
custom  was  lost  in  obscurity,  but  it  was  dear 
to  all  Etonians,  and  its  suppression,  after  the 
celebration  of  1844,  was  a  source  of  keen 
regret.  Times,  however,  had  changed,  and 
the  advent  of  the  railway  to  Slough  brought 


fhoio,,  y.  S,  Ca:/ord, 


The  Garden,  Jesus  Hospital,  Bray. 


such  a  disagreeable  company  that  the  festival 
could  no  longer  be  held. 

But  the  Eton  boats  have  gone  before  us  to 
Surly  Hall,  and  let  us  hasten  to  follow  in  their 
wake.  It  is  a  winding  course  of  some  three 
miles,  and,  as  if  to  prepare  us  by  contrast  for 
the  sylvan  beauties  of  Cliveden,  Cookham, 
and  Henley  that  are  to  come,  the  Thames  here 
flows  between  level  banks,  but  banks  possessed 
of  attractions  of  their  own.  Ever  as  we  go 
forward  the  hoary  towers  of  Windsor  are 
there. 

"  On  either  side  the  river  lie 
Long  helds  of  barley  and  of  rye. 
That  clothe  the  wold  and  meet  the  sky; 
And  thro'  the  field  the  road  runs  by 
To  many  towr'd  Camelot." 

There  is  placid  Clewer,  that 
gave  its  old  name  to  the  Curfew 
Tower  at  Windsor,  lying  apart 
by  a  creek  on  the  Berkshire 
side,  a  place  famous  for  gentle- 
men's seats  and  religious  insti- 
tutions, which  are  architectur- 
ally very  beautiful. 

About  us,  on  either  bank,  are 
the  greenest  of  meadows,  and  in 
places  great  beds  of  reeds  and 
osiers,  and  there  are  boats  going 
to  and  fro,  house-boats,  too,  gay 
with  flowers,  and  boatmen  en- 
camped by  the  shore.  Regal 
swans  have  their  nests  among 
the  reeds  by  the  eyots  and  along 
the  banks.  They  are  a  royal  pos- 
session, and  it  once  cost  a  year's 
imprisonment  to  steal  a  single 
egg  ;  but  royal  favour  long  ago 
allowed  them  to  the  Dyers'  and 


IJampion  IVicA 


BRAY. 


103 


the  Vintners'  Companies.  The  worK  of  swan- 
upping  in  July  or  August  falls  to  the  royal  and 
other  swan-herds.  They  cut  the  upper  mandi- 
bles of  the  beautiful  birds  in  a  particular  fashion 
to  mark  their  ownership — a  fashion  a  good  deal 
modified  since  the  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  AnimaN  expressed  its  displeasure 
at  that  which  formerly  prevailed.  It  is 
certainly  a  stirring  and  bustling  sight,  accom- 
panied by  much  splashing  of  water,  when  the 
swan-herds  proceed  to  their  work. 

We  presently  come  to  Boveney  Lock,  and, 
as  the  gates  open,  a  promiscuous  crowd  of  row 
boats,  dinghies,  punts,  and  even  sometimes, 
it  may  be,  a  gondola  or  two,  come  out  with 
much  flourishing  of  boat-hooks  and  oars,  and 
many  a  cry  of  "  Look  where  you're  going  !  " 
as  all  go  Windsor-ward.  There  was  an  ancient 
fishery  at  Boveney,  and  there  is  still  a  quaint 
little  church  to  be  visited.  A  very  short  dis- 
tance beyond  the  lock  in  our  upward  journey- 
ing we  come  to  Surly  Hall — that  river-side 
hostelry  so  dear  to  all  Etonians,  and  the  place 
to  which  the  College  boats  make  their  pilgrim- 
age on  the  great  aquatic  festivals  of  the  College, 
occasions  upon  which  great  havoc,  they  say,  is 
wrought  among  the  ducks  and  green  peas.  The 
tables  are  laid  out  upon  a  meadow,  where  the 
birthday  of  King  George  ill.,  who  was  a  prime 
favourite  with  the  Eton  boys,  is  kept  right 
loyally. 

For  a  mile  beyond  the  great  curve  at  Surly 
Hall  the  course  of  the  Thames  is  generally 
straight.  On  the  Berkshire  side  there  is  Water 
Oakley,  with  the  striking  turreted  mansion  of 


Oakley  Court,  so  well  known  to  ail  lovers  of 
the  river,  which  belonged  to  the  late  i,ord  Otlio 
Fitzgerald.  Down  Place  is  also  on  this  side. 
Here  lived  in  former  times  Richard  Tonson — 
the  grandson  of  Pope's  "Genial  Jacob,"  that 
bookseller  who  lifted  his  trade  so  loftily,  and 
collected  about  him  all  the  leading  Whig^  and 
wits  of  his  time ;  such  men  as  Walpole,  Somerset, 
Dorset,  Somers,  Walpole,  Charles  Montague, 
Vanbrugh,  Congreve,  Addison,  Steele,  and 
many  more.  These  were  the  men  who  ate  the 
mutton  pies  of  Christopher  Catt,  whence  came 
the  Kitkat  Club,  and  those  portraits  painted 
of  Kitkat  size  which  were  presented  to  "old 
Jacob,"  and  were  hung  by  his  grandson  at 
Water  Oakley  by  the  Thames. 

We  do  not  ascend  the  stream  very  far  before 
we  come  to  Monkey  Island,  which  is  so  named, 
as  oarsmen  and  anglers  know,  from  pictures 
which  the  iandlord  has  been  known  to  attribute 
to  Sir  Joshua,  but  which  are  really  the  work  of 
a  Frenchman  named  Clermont.  Their  author- 
ship, however,  is  a  matter  of  indifference,  for 
they  are  in  no  way  remarkable.  They  adorn 
the  fishing  lodge  which  the  third  Duke  of 
Marlborough  built  on  the  island,  and  decorated 
in  this  grotesque  fashion,  with  classic  subjects, 
such  as  the  "  Triumph  of  Galatea,"  in  which 
the  characters  are  all  drawn  from  the  monkey 
work.  The  place  is  now  well  known  to  all 
oarsmen  and  fishermen, who  delight  in  the  green 
beauties  hereabout.  These  have  a  placid  charm 
that  attracted  the  pencil  of  the  late  lamented 
Frederick  Walker,  who  was  a  real  lover  of  the 
Thames. 


Pheto..   y,    S.  Cffjyfu. 


Hind's  Head,  and  entrance  to  "the  Churchyard,  Bray. 


Uattipion  ll^Uk, 


104 


THE   THAMES  HLUSTRAIED. 


It  is  but  a  short  way  from  the  swift  flowing 
waters  by  Monkey  Island  to  Bray  lock,  and 
beyond  that  to  ancient  and  picturesque  Bray. 
The  fine  poplars,  the  eel-bucks,  the  osier  beds 
and  the  grey  old  tower  of  the  church  are  well 
known  to  all  frequenters  of  the  Thames.  At 
the  ferry  is  the  old  "  George  "  inn,  from  which 
the  place  groups  most  picturesquely.  There 
are  many  who  know  the  "  Vicar  of  Bray"  that 
have  never  seen  Bray  itself,  but,  when  they 
do,  they  will  think  it  small  wonder  he  was 
resolved 

"That  whatsoever  king  shall  reign 
I'll  be  the  Vicar  of  Bray." 

Sometimes  this  vicar,  whose  name  was  Simon 
Aleyn,  has  been  made  a  political  character,  who 


within  are  both  interesting  and  curious.  The 
groups  of  old  buildings  about  the  church  have 
the  rare  charm  of  quaint  gables,  red  roofs, 
small  windows,  and  timber  framing  about 
which  ivy  delights  to  cling.  They  form  a  most 
charming  set  of  pictures,  and  have  attracted  the 
pencils  of  many  artists.  Frederick  Walker  was 
fascinated  by  that  old  brick  quadrangle,  the 
Jesus  Hospital,  at  Bray.  It  stands  a  little  back 
from  the  road,  with  a  narrow  garden  between, 
and  the  quaintest  of  all  clipped  trees  standing 
as  sentinels  there.  You  enter  beneath  an  arch- 
way, over  which  there  is  a  statue  of  William 
Goddard,  a  free  brother  of  the  Fishmongers' 
Company,  who  founded  the  almshouses  in 
the  seventeenth  century.    You  are  then  in  the 


Photo.   J,  S.  Catford, 


Th;  Fishery,    Maidenhead. 


Hampton  iVick. 


survived  in  comfort  the  various  changes  of 
Stuart  and  Hanoverian  dynasties.  But,  in 
truth,  his  versatility  was  religious.  Fuller  thus 
speaks  of  him  :  "  The  vivacious  vicar  thereof, 
living  under  King  Henry  VIII.,  King  Edward  VI., 
Queen  Mary,  and  Queen  Elizabeth,  was  first 
a  Papist,  then  a  Protestant,  then  a  Papist,  then 
a  Protestant  again.  He  had  seen  some  martyrs 
burnt  at  Windsor,  and  found  this  fire  too  hot 
for  his  tender  temper.  This  vicar,  being  taxed 
by  one  for  being  a  turncoat  and  an  inconstant 
changeling — 'Not  so,'  said  he,  'for  1  always 
kept  my  principle,  which  is  this — to  live  and  die 
the  Vicar  of  Bray.'  " 

The  church  in  which  he  served  is  certainly 
a  very  picturesque  structure,  mostly  in  the 
early  Perpendicular  style,  but  illustrating  also 
the  Early  English  and  the  Decorated  periods. 
Its  flint  tower  is  excellent,  and  the  monuments 


rustic  quadrangle,  with  the  quaint  little  dwell- 
ings all  round  it,  clustered  with  honey-suckle 
and  roses,  while  opposite  to  you  rises  the  tall 
gable  of  the  chapel,  with  its  vane,  and  the  tops 
of  the  poplars  behind.  Within  the  quadrangle 
are  old-world  flower  and  kitchen  gardens,  where 
you  see  aged  men  digging,  many  of  them,  as 
Walker  thought,  ripening  for  the  scythe.  He 
took  that  quadrangle,  glorified  it  somewhat, 
raising  a  terrace  round  it,  laid  grass  in  the  court, 
and  put  there  the  eloque  nt  figure  of  the  mower 
sweeping  down  the  upstanding  blades,  while 
ancient  figures  linger  pathetically  in  this 
"Haven  of  Rest,"  which  he  made  famous 
on  his  canvas. 

But  the  interest  of  Bray  does  not  end  with 
the  church  and  the  Jesus  Hospital.  You  may 
walk  across  the  water  meadows  to  the  moulder- 
ing  manor   house  of  Ockwells,   which    might 


MAIDENHEAD. 


los 


''hoto.,  FrtlK. 


Taplow  Bridge  and  Maidenhead. 
have  stood  for  the  Moated  Grange,  where— 

"  The  rusted  nails  fell  from  the  knots 

That  held  the  pear  to  the  gable-wall." 

Ockwells  is  comparable  in  its  architectural 
interests  as  a  timber  building  with  enrichments, 
to  that  famous  house,  Ightham  Mote,  in  Kent. 
The  west  side  is  particularly  fine,  with  a  high 
gable  and  beautifully  carved  barge-boards,  and 
a  five-light  mullioned  window  over  a  low  arched 
doorway.  Its  small  mullioned  windows  and 
latticed  panes  are  a  beautiful  example  of  timber 
architecture,  and  it  stands  a  lonely — somewhat 
mournful — example  of  the  manorial  dwelling 
places  of  the  time  of  Henry  VII.  Long  ago 
Ockwells,  or  Ockholt,  was  the  home  of  the 
Norreys  family,  of  whom  Richard  de  Norreys, 
was  "cook"  to  the  Queen  of  Henry  111., 
received  a  grant  in  1267.  The  armorial  glass, 
which  included  the  arms  of  the  abbey  of 
Abingdon,  and  the  Norreys  achievements,  with 
the  motto  "  Feythfully  serve,"  has  been 
removed  to  a  neighbouring  modern  abode. 

Bray,  and  the  beautiful  country  which  lies 
iibove  it  by  the  river,  have  attracted  many  to 
build  their  houses  near  the  banks,  and,  as  the 
•oarsman  goes  forward,  and  sees  these  delightful 
green  lawns,  where  the  turf  islikevelvet,andthe 
flower  beds  are  glorious,  the  fires  of  envy  may, 
;Sometimes  permissibly,  arise  in  his  breast. 
Pulling  up  the  stream  he  very  soon  reaches 
ihe  double-arched  railway  bridge,  designed  by 
Sir  Isambard  Brunei,  which  carries  the  Great 
Western  line  from  Slough  to  Henley  and  Read- 
ing. Many  a  bright  scene  of  river  life  may  be 
witnessed  hereabout  on  regatta  days.  Under 
one  arch  of  the  bridge  there  is  a  weird  and 
mysterious  echo,  which  has  become  rather 
famous,  for,  if  you  say  "Ha!"  but  once, 
there  will  follow  a  peal  of  singular  laughter. 
All  travellers  by  the  railway  know  the  romantic 
scene  that  lies  above  the  bridge,  the  quiet 
reach  of  water,  the  picturesque  fishing  cottage, 
the  row    of    eel-bucks,   the    many   arches  of 


Kttgatt. 


Maidenhead     Bridge,    and    the 
glowing  woods  and  hills  beyond. 
Maidenhead  is  a  busy  centre 
of   life   on  the  Thames.      The 
attractions   of   its  surroundings 
are   very   great.      Already   we 
have  seen  what  are  the  pictures- 
que interests  of  Bray,  and  al' 
Thames    oarsmen    know    hoM 
surpassingly   beautiful   are   the 
reaches  that  lie  above.     We  are 
at    the    threshold    of    what   is 
universally  admitted  to  be  one 
of  the  most  delightful  districts  in 
the  valley  of  the  Thames.    The 
aquatic  and  sylvan  beauties  of 
Cliveden,     Cookham,    Hedsor, 
and   Marlow   would   indeed    be 
hard  to  excel  ;    and  Maidenhead 
is  an  excellent  place  at  which  to  rest,  and  from 
which  to  set  out  for  the  enjoyment  of  them. 
There  everything  that  can  conduce  to  the  plea- 
sant and  exhilarating  exploration  of  the  Upper 
Thames  has  its  centre.     Punts  and  every  kind 
of  river  craft  can  be  hired  near  the  bridge,  and 
there  is  excellent  accommodation  at  the  place, 
when  often  the  riverside  inns  higher  up  are  full. 
We  are  not  likely,  in  these  days,  to  meet  at 
Maidenhead  the  scarcity  that  was  encountered 
by  James  i.    This  is  another  story  of  a  perhaps 
apocryphal  Vicar  of   Bray.     When  the   King 
arrived,  riding  ahead  of  his  hunting  party  to 
bespeak  food  at  the  inn,  mine  host  could  hut 
say  that  the  vicar  and  his  curatp  were  above, 
and  had  ordered  all  that  his  larder  contained. 
But  the  reverent  revellers  might  be  willing  to 
admit  the  tired  stranger  to  their  board,  and  so 
it  proved,  though  the  vicar  consented  in  some- 
what churlish  fashion.     But  the  King,  with  his 
Scottish  wit,  like  Yorick,  soon  set  the  table  on 
a  roar,  and  the  vicar  laughed  consumedly  at 
his    jokes.      When,    however,    the    stranger 
searched  his  pockets  in  vain,  and  declared  that 
he  had  left  his  purse  behind,   the  good  man 
grew   angry,    and    avowed    that   no    hungry 
stranger  should  feast  at  his  charge.     But  the 
curate  was  willing  to  pay  for  such  excellent 


Photo.,  Fritk. 


Burnham  Beeches. 


'  106 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


company,  and  so,  arguing,  they  resorted  to  the 
balcony,  where,  the  royal  huntsmen  liaving 
arrived,  went  down  upon  one  knee.  The 
vicar,  thereupon  overwhelmed,  flung  himself 
down,  too,  and  implored  pardon  for  his  churlish- 
ness. "1  shall  not  turn  you  out  of  your  living," 
said  James,  "and  you  shall  always  remain 
Vicar  of  Bray,  but  1  shall  make  your  curate 
a  canon  of  Windsor,  whence  he  will  always 
be  able  to  look  down  on  you  and  your  vicarage." 
In  July,  1647,  James's  unfortunate  son,  in  the 
interval  between  the  two  Civil  Wars,  was 
allowed  by  the  Parliament  to  meet  his  three 
children  at  Maidenhead,  after  long  separation. 

But,  otherwise,  the  history  of  the  town  is 
brief.     There  was  a  wooden  bridge  there  in  the 
time  of  Edward  III.,  when  a  guild  was  incor 
porated  to  keep  it  in  repair.     There  it  was 
through  a  long  January  night  in  the  year  1400 
that  the  Duke  of  Surrey,  brother  of  Richard  11. 
held  the  passages  against  the  men  of  Henry  IV. 
to  cover  the  retreat  of  his  friends.    The  present 
handsome    structure    was    designed    by     Sir 
Robert  Taylor  in  1772.     Its  surroundings  are 
remarkably  picturesque  and  beautiful,  though 
modern  hotels  and  other  buildings  break  the 
older  charm,  especially  on  the  Berkshire  side 
towards  Boulter's  Lock.     Close  by  the  bridge 
stands  Old  Bridge  House  looking  very  pretty, 
with    its    red    brick,    ivy,    and    fine    trees. 
■"  Skindle's,"  that  famous  hostelry,  is  opposite, 
and  the   Guard's  Club-house  stands   by   the 
shore,  with  many  boats  lying  along  the  edge  of 


its  trim  lawn.  There  is  an  Angling  Association) 
with  its  headquarters  at  Maidenhead,  which 
cares  for  and  preserves  the  fishery  along  these 
reaches,  and  turns  great  numbers  of  trout 
and  other  fish  into  the  stream. 

Almost  inexhaustible,  as  we  have  discovered, 
are  the  walks  and  excursions  to  be  made  from 
Maidenhead.  Burnham  Beeches  are  but  four 
miles  away,  rearing  their  wild  fantastic  arms,: 
knotted  and  gnarled,  from  huge,  hollow,  moss- 
grown  holes.  They  make,  with  their  under- 
wood of  juniper  and  holly,  their  purple  heaths, 
rushy  pools,  and  great  green  fern-brakes,  the 
most  picturesque  assemblage  of  "  old  patrician 
trees  "  that  can  be  imagined.  "Both  vale  and 
hill,"  wrote  Gray,  who  lived  at  neighbouring 
Stoke  Poges,  "are  covered  with  most  venerable 
beeches,  and  other  very  reverend  vegetables, 
that,  like  most  other  ancient  people,  are  always 
dreaming  out  their  old  stories  to  the  winds." 

From  Maidenhead  to  Boulter's  Lock,  where 
we  shall  make  another  pause,  the  distance  is- 
but  short.  The  green  beauties  of  Raymead 
are  on  one  hand,  with  the  sylvan  glories  of 
Glen  Island  in  the  midst,  while  the  magnificent 
hanging  woods  of  Taplow  and  Cliveden  are 
rising  on  the  other.  And  Boulter's  Lock,  itself, 
on  a  bright  Sunday  afternoon,  is  one  of  the 
sights  of  the  river.  With  youth  at  the  prow 
and  pleasure  at  the  helm,  in  all  these  boats 
there  is  a  scene  of  sunny  gaiety  and  pure- 
enjoyment  that  truly  seems  to  gladden  the- 
heart  of  old  Thames. 


nuf.  •rith. 


Maideohead  Bridge. 


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Phoio.,  Ifilsott, 


Cliveden  Ferry. 


r  will  be  observed  by  the  explorer  of 
the  Thames,  as  a  characteristic  feature 
of  the  scenery,  due  to  the  configuration 
of  the  hills,  that  there  is  often  a  steep 
and  wooded  declivity  on  one  side  and  a 
space  of  meadow,  with  distant  scenery, 
on  the  other.  In  a  general  way  it  is  the 
fashion  of  rivers  either  to  flow  through  valleys 
with  hills  on  either  hand,  or  to  crawl  sluggishly 
across  a  plain.  This  is  not  the  way  of  the 
Thames.  We  may  see  at  Cliveden,  at  Marlow, 
and  again  at  Newnham  that  the  river  seeks 
the  shelter  of  the  wooded  height,  from  whose 
umbrageous  slopes  you  look  out  to  the  open 
country  that  lies  before,  and  there  at  the  foot, 
as  Spencer  says,  is 

"The  christall  Thamis,  wont  to  slide 
In  silver  channell,  downe  along  the  lee." 

We  emerge,  then,  from  the  densely  wooded 
surroundings  of  Boulter's  Lock,  leaving  behind 
us  the  long  sylvan  space  of  Glen  Island,  with 
the  beautiful  house  of  Sir  Roger  Palmer  upon 
it,  to  traverse  the  splendid  reach  that  lies  along 
the  foot  of  Cliveden  Wood.  This  is  a  superb 
length  of  the  Thames,  dear,  for  its  pictorial 
charms,  alike  to  oarsmen,  anglers,  and  artists, 
affording  unfailing  delight,  whether  we  pull 
along  the  stream  or  linger  by  the  romantic 
shore.  Up  above  us,  the  stately  mansion  of 
Cliveden  crowns  the  crest,  a  house  which  has 
passed  from  nobleman  to  nobleman,  until  at 
last  the  appreciative  hands  of  an  American 
millionaire,  Mr.  William  Waldorf  Astor,  have 
caught    the    splendid    prize.      It    is  a    place 


treasured  as  it  should  be,  and  about  which  many 
a  romance  might  be  spun.  Here,  we  may  say. 
Nature  and  Art  have  conspired  to  enchant  the 
sojourner  by  the  Thames  ;  and  you  may  fancy 
that  elves  and  fairies  dance  by  moonlight  in 
those  delightful  glades  that  open  to  the  water's 
side,  by  the  cooling  spring,  and  that  romanti- 
cally picturesque  cottage  among  the  laurels. 
The  Duke  of  Westminster,  before  he  sold  the 
place  to  Mr.  Astor,  greatly  improved  the  dense 
woods  by  cutting  ways  through  them,  so  that 
there  are  shadowy  walks  among  the  trees 
and  delightful  vistas  among  them.  The  beauty 
of  these  hanging  woods,  luxuriant  in  their 
foliage,  with  the  varied  tints  of  yew,  pine,  and 
cypress,  cannot  be  surpassed.  The  twisted 
roots  of  the  trees  emerge  from  the  banks,  and 
wild  clematis  and  juniper  cling  to  them,  giving 
space,  in  grassy  openings,  to  primroses, 
anemones,  wild  forget-me-nots,  and  unnum- 
bered other  flowers  of  the  spring  and  summer. 
Down  by  the  river,  too,  there  is  varied  colour- 
ing, in  the  cool  tints  of  the  reeds,  the  flags  that 
have  finished  blossoming,  and  the  rushes,  and 
the  deeper  hues  of  the  sedges. 

The  luxurious  fancy  of  George  Villiers,  Duke 
of  Buckingham,  ever  to  be  remembered  as  the 
most  dissolute  courtier  in  a  most  dissolute  age, 
planned  the  abode.  The  story  will  not  be 
forgotten  of  how  he  killed  the  Earl  of  Shrews- 
bury in  a  duel,  while  the  Countess,  disguised 
as  a  page,  held  his  horse.  It  was  to  Cliveden 
that  they  afterwards  fled.  Whatever  fancy 
could   suggest,   wealth   could   procure,  or  art 


12: 


THIL    THAMES    ILLUSTkA  TED. 


rho/o.,  y.  .S".  Ca'JPXi, 


could  accomplish,  was  brought  to  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  place,  while  Europe  was  ransacked 
to  furnish  the  ducal  abode.  The  character  ot 
Buckingham  has  been  immortalised  by  Dryden, 
Pope,  and  Scott      Thus  says  Dryden  :-- 

"  A  man  so  various,  ihat  he  ^ee^n'd  to  be 
Not  one,  but  all  m.inkinds  epitome; 
Stiff  in  opinion — always  m  the  wrong — 
Was  everything  by  slaris,  but  nothing  long  ; 
\vho,  in  the  course  of  one  revolving  moon, 
Was  chemist,  hddler,  statesman,  and  buffoon  ; 
Then,  all  for  women,  paintmg,  fiddling,  drinking  ; 
Besides  a  thousand  freaks  that  died  in  thinkirg.  ' 

But  Buckingham  did  not  long  enjoy  the  elysiiim 
he  had  created.  He  died  far  away  at  Kirkby 
Moorside,  in  Yorkshire,  where  he  lived  retired 
from  public  life.  Pope's  famous  lines  are  not 
quite  consistent  with  fact.  He  died  in  the 
house  of   a  tenant,  in  which  he  took  shelter 


Cliveden  Woods.  "■""^■'"'  """■ 

when  overtaken  by  sudden  illnesswhilehunting, 
and  not,  as  we  read  in  the  "  Moral  Essays," 

"In  the  worst  inn's  worst  room,  with  mat  half  hurg, 
'1  he  floors  of  plaster  and  the  walh  of  dung." 


Cliveden  HouEe. 


"  Alas  !   how  changed  from  him, 
"  That  life  of  p'.easuie  and  that  soul  ot  whim  ! 
Gallant  and  gay  in  Clive.'.en's  proud  alcove, 
'riie  bower  of  wanton  Snrew^bury  and  love  ; 
Or  just  as  gay  at  councd,  in  a  ring 
Ol  mimic  statismen  and  their  meiry  king." 

When   Buckingham  had  departed,  the  Earl 
of  Orkney,  a  companion  in  arms  of  Marlborough, 
dwelt  at  Cliveden  ;  and  later,  again,  it  was  the 
residence  of  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  father 
of  George  HI.     There  it  was,  in  his  time,  that 
"Rule    Britannia"     was    first    played,   and 
that    Thomson's   Masque    of    "Alfred"  was- 
produced.     In  1743,  which  was  the  year  of  the 
"  happy  escape  "  of  Dettingen, 
the  Prince  offended  the  people  by 
having  a  troop  of  French  players 
at  Cliveden.     "  One  of  these," 
says  Walpole,  in  a  letter  to  Sir 
Horace  Mann,  "  was  lately  im- 
pertinent to  a  countryman,  who 
thrashed  him  ;  His  Royal  High- 
D'rss  sent  angrily  to  know  the 
cause  ;  the  fellow  replied  that 
'  he  thought  to  have  pleased  His 
Highness  in  beating  one  of  them 
who  had  tried  to  kill  his  father, 
and  had  wounded  his  brother.'  " 
"  This, "  remarks  Wal pole, "was 
not  easy  to  answer." 

The    house    has   been  twice 
Kti^a;.     i3|^,,-|i(;^  ai^(j  y^as  lastly  rebuilt  by 


COOKHAM. 


123 


the  Duke  of  Sutherland  from  des'gns  by 
Barry,  .and  along  the  great  frieze  of  the 
imposing  central  block  an  inscription  re- 
cords the  fact.  It  is  not  necessary  here  to 
describe  the  features  of  the  palatial  house, 
which  is  a  building  of  classic  type,  with  mag- 
nificent apartments,  richly  adorned.  The 
gardens,  too,  are  extremely  beautiful,  and 
from  the  terrace  there  is  a  magnificent  prospect 
over  the  valley  of  the  Thames.  This  is  a  great 
region  for  the  seats  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen. 
We  shall  presently  be  at  Hedsor,  the  splendid 
estate  of  Lord  Bolton,  behind  which  lies  Drop- 
more,  famous  for  its  conifers,  and  Woburn, 
Waddesdon  Manor,  Beaconsfield,  Hughenden, 


house  there,  which  was  built  by  Sir  George 
Young,  and  has  beautiful  gardens  and  pleasure 
grounds,  is  now  the  seat  of  Mr.  Henry  Gold. 
At  this  point  the  islands  divide  the  river  into 
four  streams,  which  are  all  in  their  varied 
character  charming  and  picturesque.  Every 
oarsman  knows  the  delights  of  e.xplorin4  these 
various  recesses — if  we  may  so  call  them 
— -of  the  Thames.  The  pictures  will  show 
better  than  words  can  describe  the  special 
character  of  this  very  beautiful  sylvan 
scenery.  The  Cookhani  backwater  is  par- 
ticularly famous,  and  the  canal  to  the  lock 
is  the  most  beautiful  lock-cutting  on  the 
river. 


Fholo..  y.  S.  Cal/ord, 


Entrance  to  the  Lock,  Cookhatn» 


£amplatt  l^'ifJt. 


and  many  more  such  demesnes  are  within  a 
few  miles  of  this  enchanting  spot.  Nearer  at 
hand  is  Taplow  Court,  once  the  house  of  the 
Earl  of  Orkney,  but  now  of  Mr.  William 
Henry  Grenfell,  a  house  which  is  not  visible 
from  the  river  here,  but  may  be  discerned 
upon  the  hill  at  some  points  lower  down  the 
stream. 

Passing,  then,  the  ferry,  and  the  cottage  at 
the  Springs,  we  find  Cliveden  Reach  giving 
place  to  new  and  more  broken  scenery. 
Formosa  Island,  which  is  the  largest  eyot  in 
the  river,  having  an  area,  indeed,  of  about  fifty 
acres,  is  famous  for  its  woodland  scenery,  its 
stately  trees  which  overhang  the  water,  and 
lie  charm  of  its  flower-spangled  banks.      The 


At  the  old  village  of  Cookham  these  several 
streams  are  conjoined.  The  village  i  not  yet 
spoiled.  The  geese  still  waddle  down  the  street, 
and  the  rustics  gossip  at  the  doorways  of 
old  cottages  which  line  the  way.  In  former 
times,  the  highwaymen  made  their  harvest 
here,  in  Cookham  Bushes,  and  it  is  recorded 
that  the  Vicar  of  Hurley  received  greater 
emoluments  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that 
his  way  lay  through  tliat  dangerous  spot, 
where  his  poclcets  were  liable  to  be  relieved 
of  their  contents.  There  is  an  inn  in  the 
village  with  the  very  quaint  sign  of  "  Bel  and 
the  Dragon."  The  church  is  a  place  to  be 
visited  for  its  quaintness  and  its  monuments, 
and  those  who  love  the  pictorial  beauties  of 


124 


THE   THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Pholo.,  Frith, 


Cookham  Village. 


Rei^ate. 


the  Thames  may  visit  there  the  grave  of 
Frederick  Walker,  A.R.A.,  whose  pictures  tell 
so  truly  of  the  life  and  scenery  hereabout, 
and  whose  memory  is  perpetuated  by  a  mural 
monument  with  a  medallion.  To  many  people, 
Cookham  is  better  known  than  any  other 
place  on  the  river.  It  is  an  excellent  centre  both 
for  anglers  and  oarsmen,  and  a  place  from  which 
all  the  beauties  and  interests  of  Cliveden, 
Maidenhead,  and  Bray  on  one  hand,  and  of 
Marlow,  Bisham,  and  the  beautiful  country 
towards  Henley  on  the  other,  may  be  explored. 
Hedsor,  the  noble  seat  of  Lord  Boston  is  upon 
the  Buckinghamshire  side,  and  the  country 
thereabout,  with  hill  and  dale,  cornland,  and 
pasture,  the  quaint  old  church,  the  magnificent 
yews,  and  the  stately  house,  is  full  of  attraction. 
All  along  the  riverside  too,  the  bank  is  very 
beautiful,  and  Lord  Bolton's  eel-bucks  are  a 
very  picturesque  feature,  though  boatmen  who 
seek  to  pass  that  way  should  ascertain  their 
whereabouts.  Beyond,  is  Odney  weir,  and 
then,  passing  Cookham  Bridge,  there  is  once 
more  a  change  in  the  character  of  the  scenery. 
The  narrow  wooded  channels  have  given 
place  to  a  broad  and  open  reach.  The  water 
and  woodland  scenery  is  particularly  beautiful 
at  their  junction.  From  the  pleasant  hills  of 
Buckinghamshire  the  little  tributary  Wye  joins 
the  river,  and  the  picturesque  village  of  Bourne 
End  lies  upon  a  low  height  amid  corn-fields, 
which  look  charming  among  the  woods  when 
you  see  them  yellowing  for  the  harvest.  The 
great  open  reach  at  Bourne  End  is  a  place  to 
which  the  thoughts  of  the  up-river  sailor  are 
often  turned.     That  he  may  have  a  weatherly 


boat,  and  an  expert  and  clever  crew,  is  his 
chief  consideration  throughout  the  year.  Racing 
along  and  round  this  broad  and  basin-like 
water  has  become  quite  a  science,  and  nothing 
can  be  prettier  than  to  watch  the  white-winged 
craft  rounding  the  buoys,  or  hugging  the  wooded 
shores  as  they  race  homeward.  The  Upper 
Thames  Sailing  Club  has  a  handsome  boat- 
house,  and  the  Bourne  End  reach  is  the  scene 
of  its  operations. 

The  picturesque  village  of  Little  Marlow, 
with  a  rustic  church,  is  a  little  way  back  from 
the  bank  on  the  Buckinghamshire  side,  and  the 
long  range  of  the  Quarry  Woods  stretches 
towards  Great  Marlow.  The  curve  from  Cook- 
ham towards  Marlow  Lock  is  a  great  and 
striking  one,  and  from  the  top  of  Winter  Hill, 
round  which  the  river  sweeps,  there  is  a  truly 
magnificent  view.  The  Quarry  Woods  have 
not  the  varied  charm  of  Cliveden,  but  to  some 
they  are  even  more  attractive.  There  is  a 
wild  and  picturesque  charm  about  them  that 
wins  upon  the  beholder,  and  they  look  out  over 
the  great  sweep  of  the  river,  with  its  eddying 
water  to  the  picturesque  view  of  Great  Marlow 
Church  and  the  Suspension  Bridge  beyond. 

The  broad,  basin-like  reach  of  the  river  at 
Great  Marlow,  breaking  into  foam  as  the  water 
pours  over  the  weir,  the  airy  lines  of  the  long 
and  graceful  bridge,  the  picturesque  tower 
and  spire  of  the  church — to  which  distance 
lends  enchantment — and  the  woods  that  em- 
bower it,  are  dear  to  all  oarsmen  and  anglers 
who  frequent  the  Thames.  A  very  remarkable 
series  of  beautiful  pictures  is  presented  by  the 
surroundings  of  Marlow.      The  varied  banks 


GREAT  MARLOIV. 


I'2S 


Pkolo.,  Fri.'h, 


and  woods,  that  familiar  old 
iiostelry,  "The  Complete 
Angler,"  the  timber  bridge 
spanning  the  mill  stream,  and 
the  old  mill  standing  by  the  lock, 
with  many  other  features  that 
neighbour  them,  all  conduce  to 
charming  picturesque  effects. 
The  long  line  of  the  Quarry 
Woods  forms  a  superb  back- 
ground, as  we  look  across  from 
the  weir  over  the  eddying  water 
that  sweeps  between.  Whether 
the  trees  be  budding  in  the 
Spring,  or  are  rich  in  the  full 
leafage  of  June,  or  turning  to 
the  reds  and  yellows  of  the 
Autumn,  the  dense  masses  of 
foliage  which  clothe  the  steep  form  an  extremely 
beautiful  setting  for  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Thames.  Alike  whether  they  glow  in  the  sun- 
shine, or  turn  to  shadowy  purple  as  the  evening 
falls,  they  are  full  of  charm,  and  sometimes,  in 
days  of  storm,  the  hill  assumes  a  weird  and 
impressive  character,  when  seen  across  the 
water  and  the  grey  belts  of  reeds.  The  banks 
on  both  sides  are  full  of  primrose*;,  hyacinths, 
and  forget-me-nots,  and  it  is  delightful  to  walk 
at  twilight  along  the  bank,  or  to  linger  listlessly 
upon  the  stream  when  the  moon  rises  over  the 
darkening  hi  Is. 

Whether  for  fishing,  boating,  or  picturesque 
wayfaring,  there  are  few  more  fascinating 
places  on  the  river  than  Marlow.  The  IWarlow 
Angling  Association  preserves  the  water,  and 
tias  done  immense  things  to  improve  the  fishing, 


Cookham  Moor. 


Rets^aU. 


by  turning  great  numbers  of  fish  into  the  river, 
which  in  various  places  is  consequently  rich  in 
trout,  barbel,  perch,  pike,  and  gudgeon.  This 
energetic  body  has  also  done  good  work  in  the 
past  by  tending  to  the  extermination  of  otters, 
and  we  think  of  what  old  Isaac  Walton  -ays, 
who  loved  the  river  Thames,  that  "  the  otter 
devours  much  fish,  and  kills  and  spoils  much 
more  than  he  eats."  For  boating,  the  long 
and  beautiful  reaches  from  Cookham  to  Marlow, 
and  beyond  by  Bisham  and  Hurley  to  Med- 
menham  and  Henley  are  excellent  and  full  of 
variety.  About  Marlow,  too,  is  a  famous 
region  for  camping,  and  there  can  be  no  more 
delightful  place  for  this  than  the  Quarry 
Woods,  which  are  equally  attractive  afioat  or 
on  the  shore.  The  walks  and  excursions  from 
this  place  are  very  numerous  and  picturesque. 


"Iicto.,  Frith, 


Hedsor,  and  Odney  Weir. 


Itt^aU. 


126 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


Photo.,  Fri:h, 


Hedsor  Fishery, 


Reiqate. 


Cookhain  and  Maidenhead  are  within  easy 
reach,  Bisham  and  Hurley  are  close  at  hand, 
and  High  Wycombe  and  many  other  places  of 
interest  are  a  little  back  from  the  shore. 

Marlow  is  an  ancient  town.  It  belonged  in 
former  days  to  an  Earl  of  Mercia,  but  after 
the  Conquest,  became  a  possession  of  Queen 
Matilda,  and  later,  again,  through  his  wife,  of 
the  King-Maker,  who  walks  with  such  martial 
clang  through  our  history,  and  was  buried  close 
by  at  Bisham.  Lord  Paget  of  Beaudesert,  that 
circumspect  statesman  who  enjoyed  the  favour 
and  the  confidence  of  four  Sovereigns,  became 
afterwards  its  owner,  by  gift  from  Philip  and 
Mary,  whose  marriage  he  promoted.  How  he 
managed  to  steer  so  safely  through  those 
troublous  times  has  been  discovered  in  the 
notes  which  he  wrote  in  his  common-place 
book.  Thus  he  wrote  sagely  for  his  own 
admonition  : — 

"  Fly  the  courte, 
Speke  little, 
Care  less. 
Devise  iioth'ng. 
Never  earnest ; 
In  answer  cold  ; 
Lerne  to  spare  ; 
Spend  with  measure; 
Care  for  home. 
Pray  often, 
Live  better, 
And  dye  well." 

The  church,  which  we  saw  from  a  distance, 
is  scarcely  of  a  satisfactory  character,  but  has 
latterly  been  a  good  deal  improved.  It  was 
built  before  the  genuine  spirit  of  our  pointed 
architecture  had  been  revived  by  Pugin,  one 
of  whose  latest  works  may  be  seen  in  the  little 


Catholic  church  in  the  town.  Neither  can 
Marlow  itself  be  said  to  be  very  picturesque, 
though  it  certainly  has  not  teen  altogether 
spoiled,  and  white  stucco  has  not  yet  quite 
displaced  old  red  brick  and  tiled  roofs,  which 
linger  here  and  there  rather  mournfully,  with 
gablets  rising  out  of  the  perpendicular,  and 
roof  trees  that  have  hollowed  into  curves. 
There  is  a  house  in  St.  Peter's  Street,  known 
as  the  Deanery,  which  yet  retains  some  fine 
mullioiied  windows  with  curvilinear  Decorated 
heads.  Shelley's  house,  too,  which  is  in  West 
Street,  has  a  certain  picturesqueness,  with 
curiously  curved  lintels  to  its  windows,  a 
little  porch,  and  a  wooden  railing  separating  it 
from  the  road.  Here,  Shelley  was  visited  by 
Byron,  and  here  he  planned  his  "  Revolt  of 
Islam,"  which  he  wrote  as  his  boat  floated 
under  the  beech  groves  of  Bisham,  and  he 
gazed  up  to  "the  vast  cope  of  bending  heaven," 
Mrs.  Shelley  says  of  his  residence  here : 
"  During  the  year  1817,  we  were  established 
at  Marlow  in  Buckinghamshire ;  Shelley's 
choice  of  abode  was  fixed  chiefly  by  this  town 
being  at  no  great  distance  from  London  and  its 
neighbourhood  of  the  Thames." 

It  was  from  Marlow,  that  Shelley  dated  that 
mystical  poem  "  Marianne's  Dream  "  which 
begins : — 

"  A  pale  Hream  came  co  a  Lady  fair, 
And  said  '  A  boon,  a  boon,  I  pray  ! 
I  Know  the  secrets  of  the  air  ; 

And  things  are  lost  in  the  glare  of  day, 
Wnich  I  can  make  the  s'eeping  sre 
If  they  will  put  their  trust  in  me.'  " 

In  those  days,  the  old  church  stood  quaintly 
by  the  quainter  timber-framed  bridge,  and  by 


GREAT  MARLOW. 


127 


the  weir  and  the  row  of 
eel-bucks.  It  is  shown 
in  an  accompanying 
illustration,  which  de- 
picts Marlow  three  years 
before  Shelley  went 
there.  The  old  bridge 
was  not  quite  upon  the 
site  of  the  present  sus- 
pension bridge.  It  cros- 
sed the  stream  from  the 
upper  corner  of  the  weir, 
and  joined  the  old  street 
opposite,  being  the  suc- 
cessor of  earlier  bridges 
which  went  back  at 
least  to  Plantagenet 
times,  for  Edward  111. 
directed  the  trusty  men 
of  Marlow  to  repa  r  the 
bridge  there  in  1352. 
The  existing  structure 
was  built  in  1835,  and  its  designer  deserves 
credit  for  not  having  destroyed  the  beauty — 
though  he  necessarily  removed  a  picturesque 
feature— of  this  very  attractive  part  of  the 
Thames.  Marlow  bridge  is  well  known  to  all 
boating  and  fishing  men  ;  and,  all  along  the 
river,  is  associated  with  the  famous  "puppy 
pie,"  which  was  eaten  beneath  it  by  a  pilfering 
but  deluded  bargee,  who  is  still  held  up  as  a 
reproach  to  his  successors. 

The  views  up  and  down  the  river  from  the 
bridge  are  scarcely  surpassed  on  the  Thames, 
and  the  walls  of  the  picture  galleries  constantly 
testify  to  the  popularity  of  Marlow  with  artists. 
it  was  one  of  the  places  where  the  late 
Frederick  Walker,  A.R.A.,  delighted  to  paint, 
and  he  may  be  said  to  have  immortalised  the 
landing  stage  at  the  end  of  the  old  street  of 


Photo,,  Frith, 


Hedsor  Weir. 


Reisrate, 


Pholo..   7.  S.  Cat  lord. 


Bourne  End  from  the  Tow^path. 


the  town,  where  everything  has  since  been 
changed.  His  friend  Mr.  G.  D.  Leslie,  R.A., 
in  that  delightful  gossiping  book  "  Our  River," 
describes  Walker's  famous  painting  of  "  The 
Ferry" — a  boy  rowing  a  girl  across  the  river. 
"There  are  swans  on  the  water;  the  street, 
with  its  quaint  old  houses,  is  bathed  in  the 
warm  glow  of  the  afternoon  sun.  Against  a 
wall  is  a  group  of  old  village  gossips,  each 
perfect  in  individuality,  and  keeping  up  a 
'feeble  chirrup'  as  Homer  describes  the  aged 
Trojans  on  the  walls  of  Troy, '  like  balm  crickets 
on  a  sunny  wall.'  Children  await  the  arrival 
of  the  boat ;  and  the  action  of  the  toy  shipping 
his  sculls  and  turning  to  look  ahead,  is  simply 
perfect.  On  the  whole  this  exquisite  little 
drawing  is  perhaps  the  happiest  and  most 
beautiful  rendering  of  the  Upper  Thames  that 
was  ever  painted." 

Ancient  and  pictures- 
que Bisham  isthe  imme- 
diate neighbour  of  Mar- 
low, on  the  Berkshire 
shore.  It  is  the  place 
where  we  shall  pause 
awhile  in  our  journey- 
ing, before  we  fare  for- 
ward towards  Henley, 
and  certainly  there 
could  be  no  moredelight- 
ful  resting-place.  These 
often  -  painted  banks 
glow  with  the  varied 
foliage  of  beech,  oak, 
and  elm,  which  grace 
tlie  river  with  exceeding 
charm.  The  grey  old 
Norman  tower  of  Bis- 
ham Church  is  well 
known  to  all  boatm.en. 

Hampion  IVUk. 


128 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Great  Marlow. 


Rtlgnte. 


There  are  few  who  have  not  rested  on  their 
oars  to  delight  their  eyes  with  the  beauti- 
ful picture,  of  exquisite  colouring,  presen- 
ted by  the  grey  walls  and  lovely  gardens  of 
Bisham  Abbey.  Some  have  gone  ashore — as 
many  should — to  visit  these  attractive  scenes, 
and  to  look  at  the  pretty  village  with  its  shadowy 
lane  and  rustic  cottages,  of  which  many  are 
overgrown  with  roses  and  honeysuckle.  The 
trees  hereabout  are  magnificent,  enframing 
scenes  that  are  not  easily  forgotten,  and  dis- 
closing places  which  it  may  seem  almost 
pardonable  to  covet. 

The  Abbey  standing  near  the  bank  is  not 
the  house  of  the  monks,  although  it  has  founda- 
tions, a   pointed   doorway,  and  a   hall  which 


High  Street,  Marlow. 


date  from  those  times.  Tudor  hands  took  the 
fragments  which  had  been  destroyed,  and 
added  gables,  bays,  and  a  turreted  tower,  and 
their  work  remains  one  of  the  gems  of  the 
river.  Bisham  was  originally  known  by  the 
name  of  Bustleham,  and,  under  that  designa- 
tion, was  granted  by  the  Conqueror  to  Henry 
de  Ferrars,  who  gave  it  to  the  Templars.  This 
militant  order  seems  to  have  had  a  preceptory 
at  Bisham,  of  which  the  memory  is  preserved 
in  the  name  of  "Temple  House,"  which  lies 
somewhat  further  along  the  bank,  and  of  which 
we  shall  presently  have  something  to  say. 
From  the  Templars  Bisham  passed  to  baronial 
hands,  coming  at  last  to  William  Mantacute, 
barl  of  Salisbury,  who  founded  the  Augustinian 
Priory  of  Bustleham  in  1338. 
The  few  vestiges  that  remain 
bespeak  very  little  of  its  charac- 
ter in  those  times,  but  it  was 
a  house  of  some  importance, 
and  became  the  burial-place  of 
famous  men.  The  founder,  and 
his  sou,  who  distinguished  him- 
self at  the  Dattle  ot  Poictiers, 
were  the  first  such  to  De  interred 
there.  Then  came  John,  Earl 
of  Salisbury,  attainted  and 
beheaded  in  1400,  and  his  son 
1  homas,  who  was  described 
"  as  the  mirror  of  all  martial 
men," — ti  hero  who  fought 
valiantly,  and  fell  nobly,  at  the 
siege  of  Orleans  in  1428.  To 
Bisham,  also,  was  brought  the 
body  of  Richard  Neville,  Earl  of 


BISHAM. 


129 


Salisbury  and  Warwick,  wlio  liad  married 
the  lieiress  of  Tliomas  Montacute,  and  was 
beheaded  as  a  Yori<ist  at  York  in  1460. 
After  the  fatal  day  at  Barnet,  when  the 
King-Maker  and  his  brother  Montague  f^Il, 
their  bodies  were  carried  to  St.  Paul's,  where, 
stripped  to  the  breast,  they  lay  exposed  upon 
the  pavement  "  to  the  intent  that  the  people 
should  not  be  abused  by  feigned  tales,  else  the 
rumour  should  have  been  sowed  about  that  the 
Earl  was  yet  alive."  From  this  strange  scene, 
the  bodies  of  the  fallen  soldiers  were  carried 
up  the  river  to  their  quiet  resting-place  at 
Bisham,  but  none  can  tell  where  they  lay^ 
Warwick's  great-grandson,  Edward  Planta- 
genet,  son  of  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  after  being 
beheaded   in    1499  for   attempting   to   escape 


exchanged  it  with  Sir  Philip  Hoby  for  a  house 
in  Kent.  This  Sir  Philip  was  a  brother-in-law 
of  Cecil,  who  visited  him  at  Bisham,  and  he 
was  a  diplomatist  also,  and  the  last  ambassador 
that  England  sent  to  the  Pope.  Sir  Philip's 
brother,  Sir  Thomas,  succeeded  him  at  Bisham, 
where,  for  the  space  of  three  years,  he  had 
charge,  through  his  sisters-in-law,  the  Ladies 
Cecil  and  Bacon,  of  the  Princess  Elizabeth,  it  is 
believed  that  the  beautiful  bay  in  the  great 
chamber  there,  and  a  dais,  were  built  for  her 
satisfaction. 

When  the  two  knightly  brothers  were  dead, 
the  widow  of  Sir  Thomas  raised  a  splendid 
monument  to  them  in  Bisham  Church.  It 
may  be  seen  to  this  day.  They  lie  side  by 
side   under   an   arch,   and   are   clad   in   plate 


Great  Mario w  in  J8J4. 


from  the  Tower,  was  also  buried  at  Bisham 
Abbey,  but  his  monument,  like  those  of  his 
predecessors,  has  been  wasted,  and  nothing 
remains  to  show  where  it  stood. 

At  the  dissolution  of  the  abbeys.  Barlow, 
the  last  prior  of  Bisham — unlike  some  stouter 
men,  who  gave  up  their  lives  for  their  faith 
— hastily  conformed,  looked  a  good  deal  after 
the  loaves  and  fishes,  was  made  Bishop  of 
St.  David's,  and,  strange  as  it  appears,  was 
the  father-in-law  cf  five  other  Bishops  as  well. 
The  Abbey  lands  became  part  of  those  great 
possessions  which  Henry  Vlil.  conferred  upon 
his  fourth  bride,  Anne  of  Cleves,  the  lady 
whose  portrait  had  flattered  her  so  disastrously. 
She  appears  to  have  had  little  appreciation  of 
Bisham,   for   she   wearied  of  the   place,   and 


armour  a  good  deal  elaborated,  and  t'.ieir  heads 
are  supported  on  their  left  hands.  This  Lady 
Hoby  seems  to  have  been  a  very  learned 
personage,  for  she  has  placed  inscriptions  to 
her  husband  and  brother-in-law  in  three 
languages.  In  one  of  them  she  sets  forth 
the  history  of  the  Hobys^  and  appears  to  extol 
the  zeal  which  she  showed  in  erecting  the  tomb. 
Another  of  her  inscriptions  ends  with  serious 
comicality,  which  shows  that  the  lady  might 
yet  be  consoled  for  her  loss.  "  Give  me,  O, 
God!  "  she  exclaims,  "a  husband  like  Thomas, 
or  else  restore  me  to  my  husband,  Thomas!" 
Without  the  worthy  knight,  or  an  equal 
paragon.  Lady  Hoby  could  scarce  exist,  and  we 
may  hope  that  she  found  the  latter  in  the  person 
of  Cord  John  Russell,  to  whom  she  was  married 


I30 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


rhetc..  Taunt. 


Bisbam   AbWv.     Tfip  Kins''!;  Fireplace 


in  1574.  In  Bisham  Church,  which  should  be 
visited  for  some  architectural  features  and  its 
monuments,  there  is  a  very  curious  monument 
to  Lady  Russell.  She  is  represented  kneeling, 
in  the  act  of  prayer,  wearing  a  ruff,  stomacher, 
and  very  remarkable  head-dress  with  coronet, 
beneath  a  canopy  which  is  supported  by 
Corinthian  columns.  Opposite  to  her  kneels 
another  like  figure,  also  wearing  a  coronet, 
upon  a  lower  stool,  and  behind  her,  are  five  small 
kneeling  figures,  representing  her  children. 

^We  thus  see  that  Bisham  Abbey  has  been 
inhabited  by  rather  remarkable  people.  The 
ancient  hall  there,  is  a  noble  apartment,  with 


an  open  timber  roof,  a  three  light 
lanCet  window  filled  with  ar- 
morial glass,  an  oaken  gallery, 
a  buttery  hatch,  and  a  fireplace 
which  has  the  royal  arms  over 
the  mantle.  The  panelled  dining 
room  is  hung  with  excellent  por- 
traits, the  gem  of  the  whole 
collection  being  one  of  Queen 
Henrietta  Maria  by  Van  Dyke, 
over  the  mantle-piece.  Con- 
siderable interest  attaches  to 
the  portrait  of  the  wife  of  Sir 
William  Hoby,  which  hangs  in 
another  part  of  the  house.  She 
wears  her  widow's  weeds  with 
coif  and  wimple,  and  her  face 
and  hands  are  deadly  pale.  The 
dark  story  goes  that  once,  in 
exceeding  exasperation,  she  beat 
to  death  her  little  son,  William, 
because  his  infant  hands  had  blotted  his  copy 
book.  The  foul  deed  is  expiated,  they  say, 
by  the  unquiet  spirit  of  tlie  lady  walking 
through  the  rooms  of  Bisham  by  moonlight — 
and  who  will  aver  the  contrary  .? — her  white 
face  turned  to  black  and  her  black  dress  to 
white,  while,  as  she  painfully  goes,  like 
another  Lady  Macbeth,  she  washes  her  hands 
in  a  basin  that  is  mysteriously  carried,  without 
apparent  support,  in  front  of  her.  This  is  a 
hard  thing  to  believe  but,  as  if  to  confound  the 
incredulous,  the  very  blotted  books  of  the  poor 
boy  were  discovered  at  Bisham  secreted  beneath 
the  mouldering  floor. 


O^/cJ. 


Pketo.,  Taunts 


Bisham  Abbey  from  the  River. 


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Ph/trr..    Taunt, 


Lady  Place,  Hurley. 


Oxjord. 


EAVING  behind  us  ancient  and  delifzht- 
ful  Marlow,  and  Bisham  its  beautiful 
•.leighbour,  we  go  forward  towards 
Henley,  by  Hurley,  Medmenham,  and 
Remenham,  with  Berkshire  on  one 
hand  and  the  beech-clad  county  of 
Buckingham  yet  on  the  other,  thouoh  the 
latter  will  give  place  to  Oxfordshire  before  we 
set  foot  ashore  at  Henley  Bridge.  The  reaches 
of  the  Thames  above  Marlow,  as  below,  are 
exceedingly  fine,  and  eminently  characteristic 
of  the  river.  Too  many  hasten  along  Henley- 
ward  who  might  linger  pleasantly  to  explore 
the  backwaters,  and  discover  the  beauties  of 
the  little  islands  which  make  veritable  archipe- 
lagoes between  Temple  Lock  and  Medmenham. 
There  are  dense  woods,  sometimes  shadowing 
the  stream,  sometimes  retiring  from  tlie  shore, 
rugged  escarpments  of  chalk,  fields  where  you 
see  the  plough  breaking  the  glebe,  or  the  corn 
ripening  for  the  harvest,  while  the  rooks  for- 
sake the  elms  and  wing  their  way  across  the 
river,  where  the  swans  float,  kingfishers 
darting  across  the  backwaters,  and  even  herons 
yet  sometimes  seeking  their  prey  in  the 
shallows.  There  are  stately  houses,  too,  with 
beautiful  gardens  to  grace  the  shore. 

Long  ago,  the  Templars  appear  to  have  had 
mills  for  the  working  of  copper  here,  and  those 
which  now  stand  for  other  grinding  have  a  good 
deal  that  is  picturesque  about  them,  when  the 
evening  light  bestows  its  mellow  charm  upon 
them  and  their  surroundings.  Temple  House, 
on  the  backwater  behind  the  lock,  the  seat  of 


General  Owen  Williams,  is  a  mansion  well 
known  on  the  Thames  for  the  great  beauty  of 
the  trees  amid  which  it  is  embowered.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  Harleyford  Manor,  the 
seat  of  Sir  William  Clayton,  a  brick  building 
which  dates  from  171 5,  and  is  famous  for  the 
romantic  beauty  of  its  woods.  Hereabout, 
therefore,  is  a  delightful  region  for  the  camper, 
and  the  man  who  dwells  in  a  tent-boat,  or  those 
who  make  merry  in  house-boats,  for  the 
neighbourhood  is  very  pretty,  and  the  river 
always  attractive.  In  the  early  morning,  to 
plunge  into  the  crystal  depths  makes  the  blood 
run  quicker,  and  the  hue  of  health  soon  mantle 
the  cheek.  Sometimes,  by  the  quiet  back- 
waters, or  where  oarsmen  are  camping,  you 
will  catch  sight  of  that  supremely  fine  pictorial 
effect,  the  human  figure  by  the  water,  and 
against  a  dark  background  of  trees,  if  someone, 
as  Thomson,  the  poet  of  the  Thames  says, 
should 

"  Stand  awhile, 
Gazing  the  inverted  landscape,  half  afraid 
To  meditate  the  blue  profound  below ; 
Till,  disenchanted  by  the  ruffling  gale, 
Htf  plunges  headlong  down  the  closing  flood. 

The  backwater  and  mill  at  Hurley  are  very 
picturesque,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  remember 
that,  under  a  shadowy  bank  near  Harleyford, 
Mr.  Luke  Fildes  painted  his  well-known  picture 
of  riverside  life,  "  Fair,  quiet,  and  sweet 
rest." 

Upon  the  Berkshire  shore,  coyly  retired,  lies 
Hurley  village,  one  of  the  most  interesting 
places    on    the    Thames.      The    Benedictine 


146 


THE     THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


i 

^^                   — «i^                                                   -■■^•fe^ 

^/  ^^ 

W^u..-I-  -^^ 

^^■■*«HhHilmM 

i'Au.c).,  H'iisoii, 


Harleyford  House. 


Priory  there  was  founded  by  Geoffrey  de 
Mandeville  in  tiie  reign  of  the  Conqueror,  and 
the  refectory,  and  some  part  of  the  monastic 
quadrangle  that  afterwards  rose,  remain  on  the 
north  side  of  the  exceedingly  quaint  old 
church,  once  the  monastic  chapel,  which  has 
some  characteristic  Norman  featuves.  The 
village  lies  back  a  little  from  the  river,  and 
you  will  not  see  much  of  it  unless  you  go 
ashore,  its  immediate  neighbour  was  Lady 
Place,  the  fine  old  Elizabethan  mansion  of 
the  Lords  Lovelace  of  Hurley,  which  was 
pulled  down  in  1837.  Some  things  remain  to 
show  what  were  the  attractions  of  the  house. 
There  are  old  fish  ponds,  ivy-grown  walls,  a 
dove-cot,  and  other  fragments  yet  remaining, 
and  the  mansion  itself  is  here  illustrated  from 
engravings — one  by  Tombleson,  from  the 
river,  the  other,  from  the  south-east,  by 
"Suckler,  from  the  "Gentleman's  Magazine," 


Photo.,  U-'iison, 


Temple  House  and  Island. 


1831.  Lady  Place  made  its  mark  upon  history. 
Here  it  was  that  John,  Lord  Lovelace,  one  of 
the  foremost  supporters  of  William  of  Orange, 
plotted  with   his  friends  for  the  overthrow  of 
the  king.     The  arched  vaults  are  still  in  exist- 
ence in  which  they  met.     The  mansion  was 
a  place  of  many  gables,  belonging  to  the  time 
when  chimney  stacks  rose  boldly,  and  had  not 
been    taught    to    steal    skyward    ashamedly 
behind  battlements.     The  principal  fa9ade,  as 
in   many   great   houses   of  Tudor   and  Stuart 
times,    had   a   porch  m  the  middle,    of   three 
storeys,    and   great   projecting   wings,    giving 
the   place  somewhat  the   plan  of   a  letter  E. 
Lord  Lovelace  had  been  greatly  distinguished 
in  the  time  of  James  11.  for  his  magnificence, 
and,    at    the    same    time,    for   the    audacious 
vehemence    of     his     Whiggism,    which'    had 
brought  him   five   or    six  times  into  durance. 
Lastly,    he    was    brought    before    the    Privy 
Council, -but  could   not 
;     be  induced  to  incrimin- 
ate himself.    James  dis- 
missedhim,  bitterly  say- 
ing: "MyLord,thisisnot 
the  first  trick  you  have 
played  me."    "Sir,"  he 
replied,   "  I  have  never 
played  any  trick  to  your 
Majesty,  or  to  any  other 
person.      Whoever  has 
accused,  me  of  playing 
tricks  to  your  Majesty  is 
a  liar !"    Nevertheless, 
the    fact   remains    that 
Lovelace  was  one  of  the 
plotters  of  1688,  that  he 
visited  William  in  Hol- 
land,   and    that    Lady 


HURLEY    AND    MEDMENHAM. 


147 


"  Lady  Place  "  from  the  River. 

Place  was  the  scene  of  his  plotting.  Thus 
Macaulay  speaks  of  it:  "His  mansion, built  by  his 
ancestors  out  of  the  spoils  of  Spanish  galleons 
from  the  Indies, rose  on  the  ruins  of  a  house  of  Our 
Lady,  in  that  beautiful  valley  through  which  the 
Thames,  not  3'et  defiled  by  the  precincts  of  a  great 
capital,  nor  rising  and  falling  with  the  flow  and 
ebb  of  the  sea,  rolls  under  woods  of  beech  round 
the  gentle  hills  of  Berkshire.  Beneath  the 
stately  saloon,  adorned  with  Italian  pencils, 
was  a  subterraneous  vault,  in  which  the  bones 
of  ancient  monks  had  sometimes  been  found. 
hi  this  dark  chamber,  some  zealous  and  daring 
opponents  of  the  government  had  held  many 
midnight  conferences  during  that  anxious  time 
when  England  was  impatiently  expecting  the 
Protestant  wind."  The  season  for  action  at 
length  arrived,  and  Lovelace  set  off  with  some 
seventyfollowersfrom  Lady  Place.  All  were  well 
armed  and  mounted,  and  reached  Gloucester- 
shire without  difficulty, 
but  they  were  there 
defeated  by  James's 
forces  near  Cirencester, 
and  Lovelace  himself 
made  prisoner  and  sent 
to  Gloucester  Castle. 
It  was  a  grievous  blow 
to  William,  and  caused 
him  to  complain  that 
he  iiad  been  deceived. 

Between  Hurley  and 
Medmenham,  dense 
wooded  hills  rise  from 
the  meadows  that  flank 
the  river, and  sometimes 
shadow  the  stream. 
The  reaches  to  Henley 
are     favourite     resorts 


with  oarsmen,  but  the  punting 
to  Medmenham  is  indifferent, 
owing  to  the  irregular  and 
heavy  character  of  the  bed,  and 
you  thread  the  river  archipe- 
lago. The  distance  from  Hurley 
Lock  to  Medmenham  ferry 
is  less  than  two  miles.  Med- 
menham is  among  the  prettiest 
places  on  the  Thames,  and 
the  Abbey,  bogus  structure 
though  it  really  is,  makes  a 
picturesque  feature  upon  the 
bank.  Here  was  a  Cistercian 
House  colonised,  the  second  time 
in  I2i2,by  monks  from  Citeaux, 
whence  came  forth  the  men  who 
established  the  great  abbeys 
of  Tintern,  Rievaulx,  Fountains, 
Furness,  Netley,  and  many 
more.  Medmenham  was  not 
comparable  to  any  of  those 
named,  but  its  situation  was 
such  as  the  Cistercians  always  chose,  for  they 
settled  in  the  quiet  nooks  and  valleys,  and  by 
the  pleasant  streams  of  England;  and  we  may 
well  believe  that  St.  Stephen  Harding,  when 
he  turned  to  cultivation  that  hot  thorn-break 
at  Citeaux,  often  bethought  him  of  the  ripe 
corn  fields  of  his  native  land,  and  of  such  places 
as  we  see  by  the  Thames.  In  the  beginning 
of  the  i6th  century,  Medmenham  Abbey  became 
an  appanage  of  Bisham,  which  we  have  visited. 
Its  monks  lived  the  quiet  life  of  the  cloister, 
and  it  was  reserved  for  the  sham  monks  of  the 
last  century,  the  "  Fransciscans"  of  Sir  Francis 
Dashwood  and  his  profligate  companions,  to 
awake  the  echoes  with  the  sounds  of  their 
unholy  revelry,  there,  devoting  themselves, 
if  their  contemporaries  speak  truth,  to  nameless 
debauchery.  John  Wilkes,  the  scurrilous 
profligate  rejected  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
Dashwood,    Lord    le    Despencer,    who    was 


From  an  Fngraxtng. 


"Lady  Place"  from  th    South-Eact. 


From  an  tng'< 


148 


THE     THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


Photo.,  Taitnt, 


Harleyford  Weir. 


Oxfara, 


summonedfrom  his  profanity  and  liis  tavern  bills 
to  administer  the  finances  of  the  country,  Bubb 
Dodington,  Sir  John  Dashwood  Kin«,  and  many 
more  were  the  Mohawks  who  composed  this 
"Hell  fire  Club."  Their  motto  may  still  be 
seen  over  the  door — "  Fay  ce  que  voudras;" 
and  what  they  chose  to  do,  they  did  witli  all 
their  might. 

in  tliese  milder  days,  the  legend  is  taken  as 
a  hospitable  invitation,  and  countless  picnic 
parties  through  the  summer  make  innocent 
merriment  in  the  picturesque  place.  The  build- 
ing itself,  though  a  little  grotesque,  is  very 
pretty,  with  its  rustic  surroundings,  its  farm- 
yard and  its  hayricks,  and  from  the  lawn  there 
are  beautiful  views  of  the  river.  The  village, 
too,  is  very  charming,  with  its  rustic  cottages, 
and  its  old  church,  which  still  retains  some 
Norman  features ;  and  the  road  leads  up  the 
hill  to  a  forlorn  looking  place  to  which  Charles 
11.  and  Nell  Gwynneare  said  to  have  resorted. 

The  writer  of  this  may  be  forgiven  for  recall- 
ing, in  relation  to  Medmenham,  the  fact  that  a 
namesake  of  earlier  times,  John  Leland,  the 
king's  antiquary,  in  Henry  Vill.'s  days,  made, 
in  his  "  Cygnea  Cantio,"  a  literary  pilgrimage 
by  the  Thames — not  faring  upwards,  but  float- 
ing swan-wise  down  from  Oxford  to  Greenwich, 
With  a  good  deal  of  laudation  of  the  king.  The 
antiquary's'  Boswell — longo  in/ervallo— John 
Bale,  who  expounds  "  The  Laboryouse  Journey 


and  Serche,"  says,  "  This  Johan  Leylande  had 
a  naturall  hart  to  hys  contrey ; "  but  his 
exceedingly  learned  swan  is  unfortunately 
prodigiously  dull  in  its  account  of  the  Thames. 
Yet  the  woodland  beauties  of  Hurley  and 
Medmenham  attracted  the  literary  bird's  atten- 
tion, and  gave  the  author  the  opportunity  of 
suggesting  a  somewhat  fantastic  derivation  for 
the  name  of  the  place  we  speak  of : — 

"  Hurstelega  ferax  deinde  sylvae 
Appiret,  Mediamnis  atque  pulcher." 

Above  Medmenham,  the  river  is  less  interest- 
ing until  Magpie  Island  is  reached,  about  a  mile 
above  ihe  Abbey.  There  is  an  extremely 
pretty  backwater,  with  the  picturesque  boat- 
house  of  Culham  Court,  and  beautiful  gardens 
and  woods,  forming  a  pleasing  setting  for  the 
house,  which  is  very  curiously  raised  upon  a 
chalk  cliff.  It  is  an  old,  red  brick  building,  in 
which  the  Hon.  F.  West,  son  of  Earl  De  la  Warr, 
entertained  George  III.,  and,  as  the  story  goes, 
knowing  the  king's  predilection  for  hot  rolls 
to  breakfast  from  the  royal  purveyor  in  London, 
arranged  relays  of  horsemen  with  the  rolls 
wrapped  in  hot  flannel,  to  the  huge  delight  of 
his  Majesty.  From  Culham  Court  to  Henley, 
the  course  of  the  Thames  is  a  great  curve 
with  somewhat  flattened  sides,  for,  while  the 
places  are  but  two  miles  apart,  the  distance  by 
river  is  nearly  four.  'Above  the  horse  ferry, 
which   is   about  half   a  mile   beyond   Magpie 


HAMBLEDEN    AND    HENLEY. 


149 


Island,  the  stream  is  sharp,  and,  on  the  other 
side,  an  extremely  pretty  backwater  leads  to 
the  weir  and  mill  and  Hambleden.  The 
chimneys  and  gables  of  picturesque  Yewden — 
where  are  some  of  the  quaintest  clipped  yews 
imaginable — are  seen  near  the  mill,  at  the  point 
where  the  slender  Hamble  joins  the  Thames. 
The  little  place  by  the  river  is  known  as  Mill 
End,  and  is  the  water  suburb  of  the  diminutive 
village  of  Hambleden,  a  quiet  place  with  a 
church  approached  through  a  iych  gate,  where 
there  may  be  seen  the  monument  of  Sir  Cope 
and  Lady  d'Oyley — she  was  the  sister  of 
Quarles  of  the  "Emblems" — with  their  ten 
children,  all  kneeling,  like  the  curious  countess 
at  Bisham,  the  figures  painted  and  gilded,  and 
some  of  them  carrying  skulls  in  their  hands. 

At  Hambleden  is  Greenlands,  the  beautiful 
Italian  mansion  of  the  late  Rt.  Hon.  W.  H. 
Smith,  M.P.,  and  now  the  seat  of  his  widow, 
Viscountess  Hambleden.  The  gardens  are 
exceedingly  beautiful,  and  the  various  trees 
among  the  choicest  upon  the  Thames,  while 
the  house  looks  charming  amid  the  dark  cedars 
that  neighbour  it.  There  are  picturesque 
inland  ponds  too,  and  the  park  extends  some 
distance  up  the  slope.  The  place  owes  much 
of  its  character  to  the  deceased  statesman. 
In  an  old  house  here  lived  dame  Elizabeth 
Periam — sister  of  the  fust  Lord  Bacon — whose 
monument  is  in  Henley  Church.    The  house 


of  the  Thames  is 
as    Poplar   Point, 

of  the  bridge,  and 
visible    from   the 


played  a  part  in  the  Civil  War,  being  power- 
fully garrisoned  for  the  king,  and  was  a  serious 
menace  to  the  Parliament  men,  who  had  been 
levied  and  organized  by  Sir  Bulstrode  White- 
locke  at  Henley. 

Just  above  Greenlands,  is  Regatta  Island, 
with  its  well  known  Temple.  From  thispointthe 
distance  is  not  much  more  than  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  to  Henley  Bridge  down  the  famous 
regatta  reach.  The  course 
practically  straight  as  far 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
Henley  Church  is  plainly 
island  rising  at  the  other  end  of  the  reach. 
The  rural  village  of  Remenham,  with  rustic 
cottages  and  a  pretty  farmhouse,  is  on  the 
Berkshire  shore,  and,  beyond,  the  hillside  is 
beautifully  wooded,  and  affords  most  delightful 
walks  to  those  who  sojourn  at  Henley. 
Opposite  to  Remenham  stands  Fawley  Court, 
about  a  mile  from  Henley  Bridge.  .It  was 
owned  by  Sir  Bulstrode  Whitelocke,  and  the 
existing  mansion  was  erected  by  Sir  Christopher 
Wren  in  1684.  The  building  is  plain,  not  to 
be  described  as  beautiful,  but  well  propor- 
tioned, like  all  Wren's  work.  Within  recent 
years  it  has  been  encased  in  red  brick.  Another 
well-known  house  upon  the  Regatta  Reach  is 
Phyllis,  or  Fillets,  Court,  which  lies  between 
Fawley  Court  and  the  bridge.  These  houses 
both  played  their  part  in  the  Civil  War.     In 


Phtf/o.,  Taunt, 


Medmenham  Church. 


Oxford. 


ISO 


THE     THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


rhoto..  Taunt, 


Medmenham  from  the  Hill. 


Oxford. 


1643,  Skippon  fortified  Pliyllis  Court  for 
the  protection  of  Henley  against  the  king's 
forces  assembled  at  Greenlands.  Ditches 
were  dug,  into  which  water  from  the  Thames 
was  admitted,  guns  were  collected,  and  at  one 
time  300  foot  and  a  troop  of  horse  formed  the 
garrison.  When  the  trouble  was  over, 
Whitelocke,  who  owned  Phyllis  Court,  as 
well  as  Fawley,  filled  up  the  ditches,  levelled 
the  mounds  that  had  been  raised,  and  sent 
away  the  great  guns  and  grenadoes.  The 
Fawley  Court  of  those  times  seems  to  have 
suffered  very  severely,  between  the  Cavaliers 


on  one  hand  and  the  Roundheads  on  the  other, 
so  that  it  became  practically  uninhabitable, 
and  gave  place  afterwards  to  the  structure 
erected  by  Wren.  As  to  the  old  mansion  of 
Phyllis  Court,  it  was  pulled  down  on  1788, 
though  some  portions  remained  until  1837, 
and  a  fine  modern  house  stands  on  the  site. 

Henley  was  long  ago  famous  as  a  centre  of 
agriculture,  and  traders  resorted  to  it  for  grain 
and  malt.  The  old  bridge,  which  was  washed 
away  by  a  great  flood  in  March,  1774,  had  a  gate 
at  each  end  and  a  chapel  and  granary  in  the  midst, 
into  this  latter  the  grain  was  carried,  and  then 
lowered  with  ease  into  barges 
stationed  below,  this  system 
preceeding  the  wharfage  accom- 
modation of  the  place.  The 
present  bridge  at  Henley,  wiiich 
was  finished  in  1787,  at  a  cost 
ofZio.ooo,  is  certainly  one  of 
the  most  successful  on  the  river, 
though  we  may  not  share  Wal- 
pole's  extravagant  admiration 
of  it,  who  declared  it  to  be 
liner  than  any  in  the  world, 
except  one  at  Florence,  which 
it  surpassed  in  the  beauty  of 
its  surroundings.  The  heads 
upon  the  keystones,  represent- 
ing Isis  and  Thamesis,  were 
carved  by  his  friend,  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Damer,  and  it  was 
a  Miss  Freeman,  of  Fawley 
Court,  who  sat  for  the  head  of 


Medmenham  Abbey. 


O/ma. 


Isis. 


HENLEY. 


151 


The  views  up  and  down  the  river  from  the 
bridge  are  exceedingly  fine,  and  the  town 
itself  has  much  to  make  it  attractive.  Thougli 
quiet,  it  is  never  dull.  There  are  old- 
fashioned  hostelries,  and  many  that  are  new. 
The  "  Red  Lion  "  by  the  bridge  is  well  known 
to  all  coaching  and  boating  men,  and  has  quite 
a  famous  record.  There  it  was  that  Shenstone, 
emulating  Falstaff,  and  foreshadowing  Wash- 
ington hving,  in  the  "Red  Horse,"  at 
Stratford,  composed  his  well-known  lines  in 
praise    of  the  comforts  of  an  inn,    which  he 


General  Dumouriez,  the  famous  soldier  of  the 
Grande  Armee,  who  died  at  Henley  in  1823. 
The  almshouses  and  other  buildings  which 
neighbour  the  church  are  not  unpleasing.  At 
the  top  of  the  market-place  is  the  Town  hall, 
where  there  are  two  pictures,  one  of  Sir  Godfrey 
Kneller,  presented  to  it  by  Lady  Kneller,  who 
is  buried  in  the  church,  it  is  not  necessary 
here  to  say  anything  more  about  Henley  itself. 
We  shall  turn,  therefore,  once  again  towards 
the  bridge.  Here  there  is  a  continual  bustle 
of  boats,    m.aking   a   very   gay   scene   in  the 


--^ 


fhotu..   y.  5.  Catjord, 


Hamblcdon  Weir^ 


lla.tnpto)i  IVtcft. 


scratched  upon  a  window-pane.     The  first  and 
last  verses  may  be  quoted. 

"  To  thee,  fair  Freedom  !  I  retire 

From  flattery,  cards,  and  dice,  and  din  ; 
Nor  art  Ihou  found  in  mansions  higher 
Than  the  low  cot  or  humble  inn. 

"  Whoe'er  has  travelled  life's  dull  round. 
Where'er  his  stages  may  have  been. 
May  sigh  to  think  he  still  has  found 
His  warmest  welcome  at  an  inn." 

From  the  "Red  Lion"  and  the  "Angel," 
which  flank  the  bridge,  the  way  leads  up  to 
the  broad  market-place,  the  church  lying  upon 
the  right, an  interesting  structure,  with  chancel, 
nave  and  aisles.  It  is  interesting  rather  than 
imposing,  and  the  most  curious  monument  it 
has  is  that  of  the  Lady  Periam,  who  has  been 
cdluded  to.     The  church  also  has  a  tablet  to 


summer  time.  The  plashing  of  oars  and  the 
jovial  notes  of  coach  horns  are  the  sounds  of  the 
place,  and  there  are  stalwart  men  in  flannels, 
and  pretty  girls  in  frills  and  blouses — sym- 
phonies, as  someone  says,  in  such  adornments 
— giving  the  final  charm  and  needful  touch  of 
colour  to  the  river. 

All  the  world  over,  Henley  is  -famous  for  its 
Regatta,  which  is  the  most  important  of  all 
aquatic  festivals,  and  is  not  less  a  trial  of  skill 
between  the  best  oarsmen  of  the  Thames, 
both  of  clubs  and  colleges — attracting,  besides, 
lovers  of  aquatic  skill  from  every  quarter — 
but,  at  the  same  time,  a  fashionable  gathering 
at  the  close  of  the  London  season,  in  some  ways 
comparable  to  Ascot.  Nowhere  can  the  life 
of  the  river  be  seen  so  brilliantly  vivacious  as 
during  the  Regatta  at  Henley.     The  hustling 


153 


THE     THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


fholo..  Taunt, 


The  Thames  at  Henley. 


Oxford. 


crowd  of  steam  launches,  skiffs,  punts,  dinghies, 
and  canoes  is  diversified,  at  times,  by  every 
kind  of  imaginable  craft  that  can  be  navigated 
on  the  river,  and  gondolas,  and  even  sampans, 
and  various  half-barbarous  boats,  sometimes 
add  a  touch  of  novelty  to  the  scene.  House- 
boats Mne  the  banks  in  stations  carefully 
marked  out,  and  vie  with  one  another  in  their 
schemes  of  colour  and  their  floral  decorations, 
and  some,  well  known  to  habitues  of  the  river, 
are  looked  for  year  by  year.  There  is,  indeed, 
a  certain  prejudice  against  these  floating  dwel- 
lings. Unbounded  pleasure  is  afforded  to  their 
occupants,  and  tliey  add  a  good  deal  to  the 


Phcro.,  J.  S.  Cat/orA. 


"  The  Red  Lion,"  Henley. 


charm  of  the  spectacle  ;  but  the  riparian  owner 
does  not  always  relish  their  near  neighbourhood, 
and,  backed  by  the  necessity  of  some- 
what clearing  the  course  at  Henley,  a  recent 
edict  has  been  issued,  prescribing  that  the  gay 
people  who  throng  the  boats  at  the  Regatta 
must  be  owners  or  genuine  guests,  and  not 
visitors  turning  the  boats  into  floating  hotels. 
A  little  heart-burning  results  both  from  the 
stationing  of  the  boats,  and  the  fact  that  the 
owners,  who  add  so  much  to  fiver  pleasure  and 
river-side  profits,  paying  besides  a  round  sum  to 
the  Conservancy  in  fees, are notallowedto  make 
a  little  hay  while  the  sun  shines  at  Henley. 

One  great  charm  of  the  Re- 
gatta is  that  it  brings  together 
the  practised  oarsmen  and  the 
amateurs,  the  young  who  delight 
in  the  present,  and  the  old  who 
long  ago  displayed  their  skill 
upon  the  river,  the  college 
clubs  of  the  Universities  and 
public  schools,  and  many  from 
foreign  parts  who  delight  to  ply 
the  oar. 

The  rise  of  Henley  from  an 
insigniflcant  little  meeting  to  the 
Royal  Regatta  of  to-day  is  a  not- 
able illustration  of  the  rapid 
development  of  public  interest 
in  athletics  and  out-door  occu- 
pations during  recent  years. 
The  University  boat  race  and  the 
Regatta  had  a  common  origin. 
iiamttctmct.        They    date,    practically,    from 


HENLEY    AND    REM  EN  HAM. 


'53 


p 

III     liiT  >'3^B 

hT  nf  si 

III      gll       Jll 

M^  i' 

TWM' J^l^^ 

"~1 

/■Ao/o.,  5".  5.  Ca-ford, 


Henley  Market  Place. 


I[a„:f:cn   llki. 


the  year  1829,  when  the  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge crews  met  on  what  is  now  the  Regatta 
reach  at  Henley,  and  friends  of  the  competitors 
and  townspeople  lined  the  bank,  and  gave 
themselves  up  to  a  limited  degree  of  festivity. 
Henley  Regatta,  proper,  cannot  be  said  to  date 
earlier  than  1839,  when  the  first  Trinity  boat 
from  Cambridge  took  the  Grand  Challenge 
Cup  for  eight  oars,  then  the  solitary  trophy 
of  the  meeting.  There  was,  as  yet,  nothing 
but  University  rowing  at  Henley,  but  the  rise 
of  the  London,  Thames,  and  other  rovsing 
clubs  added  new  interest  to  the 
Regatta,  and  fresh  events  were 
successively  added  to  the  pro- 
gramme, while  the  crowds  of 
boats  and  riverside  visitors  pro- 
gressively increased. 

In  those  days,  the  course  was 
from  Regatta  island  to  Henley 
Bridge,  the  race  thus  being 
practically  brought  to  the 
doors  of  the  townspeople.  The 
lawn  of  the  old  "Red  Lion" 
was  a  favourite  point  of  view, 
and  carriages  upon  the  bridge 
afforded  an  excellent  prospect  of 
the  finish  to  their  favoured  occu- 
pants. Those  who  were  in- 
terested in  the  race,  however,  , 
as  a  trial  of  skill,  insisted  that  the 
turn  of  the  river  at  Poplar  Point 
gave  great  advantage  to  the  boat 
on  the  inner,  or  Berks,  station. 
Sometimes,  Jiowever,    when   a      /■''■"»■•  T<;,nr. 


high  wind  blew  from  the  Buckingham  shore, 
the  boats  on  that  side  were  sheltered  by  the 
trees  and  house  boats,  while  their  opponents 
were  struggling  in  the  rough  water,  and  in  this 
way  the  advantage  was  at  times  neutralised. 
Something  was  done  to  equalise  the  chances, 
though  with  but  moderate  success,  by  staking 
out  the  course  so  that  the  boats  on  the  Berks 
station  were  kept  well  out  in  the  stream. 
With  the  regatta  of  1886,  a  new  plan  ivas 
adopted,  which  was  a  good  deal  discussed  at 
the  time,  the  races  beginning  a  little   below 


Remenham  Church. 


Ot/oni. 


154 


THE     THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


Regatta  Island  and  ending  at  Poplar  Point. 
The  Bucks  side  had  now  gained  an  advantage, 
but  matters  were  made  fairly  equal  at  the 
Regatta  of  1897,  by  shifting  the  course  a  little 
over  to  the  Berkshire  side,  and  by  moving  the 
starting  place  and  winning  post  35  yards 
higher  up  the  river. 

Visitors  to  Henley  mark  a  vast  improvement 
in  the  racing  craft,  and  there  is  a  great  differ- 
ence between  the  old  racing  eight  and  the 
modern  boat.  The  international  character  of 
the  races  has  tended  to  increase,  and  crews 
from  Yale  and  other  American  Colleges  have 
been  seen  upon  the  river.  Foreign  and 
Colonial  entries  are  looked  for,  and  Dutch, 
.French,  Canadian  and  American  boats  add  a 
touch  of  pleasant  rivalry  to  the  event.  A 
great  change  has  come  over  the  accom.pani- 
itients  of  the  race  during  the  last  30  years. 
The  crowded  boats  and  well  filled  lawns,  and 
the  enthusiastic  plaudits  of  the  thousands, 
offer  a  marked  contrast  to  the  Henley  of 
former  times,  when  a  small  craft  was  dotted 
here  and  there  upon  the  river,  the  bridge  was 
lined  with  carriages,  and  a  few  were  gathered 
upon  the  banks  ;  when  the  umpire,  wearing  a 
tall  hat,  was  carried  in  a  waterman's  eight,  and 
the  races  were  conducted  without  a  staked 
course,  or  the  help  of  the  Thames  Conservancy. 
in  these  days  the  Regatta  is  a  picture  of  life 
and  animation  almost  without  a  parallel.     The 


wooded  banks  and  the  blue  waters,  with  the 
fine  bridge  at  one  end,  and  the  Temple  at  the 
other,  which  are  rich  in  natural  and  artificial 
beauty,  receive  a  new  charm,  of  colour  and 
movement  resulting  from  the  thronging  boats,: 
and  the  gay  costumes  of  the  ladies.  \ 

Henley  is,  indeed,  a  society  function  as  much 
as  a  trial  of  skill.  Keen  oarsmen  are  sometimes 
heard  to  grumble  that  crowding  boats,  Gargan- 
tian  lunches,  fireworks,  and  illuminations  spoil 
the  aquatics  of  the  Regatta,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  are  thousands  who  delight  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  meeting  and  the  social  and 
river  pleasures  it  brings  ;  and  oarsmen  of  earlier 
years  are  heard  to  regret  that  they  cannot 
light  their  battles  over  again  before  the  greater; 
numbers  and  the  fair  spectators  of  to-day. 

Its  chief  events  may  be  alluded  to.  The 
Grand  Challenge  Cup  for  eight  oars  is  com- 
peted for  by  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  boats, 
and  those  of  the  Thames,  Leander,  London,  and 
other  clubs,  as  well  as  sometimes  by  foreign 
crews.  The  Ladies'  Challenge  Plate  is  for  the 
college  and  schools  eights  of  the  United  King- 
dom, and  has  Eton,  Radley,  and  some  of  the 
University  boats  among  the  competitors.  The 
Thames  Challenge  Cup  for  eight  oars,  is 
keenly  contested  by  many  boats.  Other  events 
are  the  Stewards'  Challenge  Cup,  the  Visitors' 
Challenge  Cup,  and  the  Wyfold,  for  four  oars, 
with  other  pair-oar  and  sculling  events. 


Photo.,  7  aunt. 


Over  Henky  Bridge. 


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On  the  Tow^-patfi  above  Henley, 


O^ord, 


ilT  Greenlands  we  turned  with  the 
Thames  south-westward,  and  now 
from  Henley  we  go  forward  by  many 
a  winding  of  the  stream,  in  the  same 
direction,  to  Caversham,  whence  our 
course  will  be  shaped  once  more 
north-westward,  until  the  towers  and  spires  of 
Oxford  rise  before  us.  The  southern  end  of  the 
Chiltern  Range,  which  stretches  away  througii 
Oxfordshire  and  Buckinghamshire,  is  enveloped 
witiiin  this  great  curve  of  the  river,  thougli, 
for  some  distance  after  passing  Henley,  the 
country  tends  to  be  flat  on  the  Oxfordsiiireside, 
and  the  lovely  hanging  woods  are  on  the  Berk- 
shire shore. 

It  is  one  of  those  places  where,  as  we  have 
remarked  before,  a  hill  on  one  bank  confronts 
a  more  open  country  on  the  other.  From  Henley 
to  Sonning  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive and  beautiful  regions  of  the  Thames.  The 
natural  configuration  of  the  country  is  varied 
m  character ;  the  hills  are  clothed  with  the 
richest  of  foliage  ;  and  the  river  now  opens  out 
into  broad  lake-like  reaches,  and  again  breaks 
up  amid  reed  or  timber-grown  islands,  into 
delightful  channels  and  backwaters.  None 
should  omit  to  traverse  these  sequestered  places. 
In  the  exploration  of  them,  the  warning  notice 
that  they  are  private  waters  may  sometimes 
be  disregarded.  ^  Bold  and  adventurous  spirits 
have,  indeed,  been  heard  to  declare,  upon  read- 
ing such  warnings,  "Oh,  private  water !  That's 
all  right!  Come  on!"  But  let  the  boat- 
man remember,  that,  so  long  as  the  water  is 


navigable,  he  may  navigate  it ;  yet  he  will 
respect  the  rights  of  owners,  and,  without  leave, 
will  not  set  foot  on  shore,  l-le  will  also  look  well 
into  the  water,  so  that  obstructions  which  may 
exist  here  and  there  may  not  foul  his  cratt. 
This  admonition  is  more  necessary  for  the  oars- 
man, since  the  punter  necessarily  keeps  a  close 
watch  upon  the  river  bed  where  he  is  unfamiliar 
with  it ;  and  he  certainly  has  some  advantages 
in  going  tiirough  the  backwaters. 

From  Henley  to  Sonning  is  also  a  very  favourite 
resort  of  anglers,  who  find  much  placid  enjoy- 
ment in  fishing  these  delightful  waters.  They 
sometimes,  it  is  true,  wax  angry  with  the 
oarsman,  and  still  more  with  the  punter,  who 
l<eeps  in  the  shallow  water,  and  it  is  well  for 
those  upon  the  river  to  disturb  the  disciples  of 
Isaac  Walton  as  little  as  they  can.  The  villages 
along  this  part  of  the  Thames,  and  in  the 
neighbourhood,  to  which  anglers  and  boatmen 
alike  resort,  are  delightfully  picturesque.  Their 
churches  are  interesting,  too,  and  their  inshore 
surroundings  very  pretty. 

There  are  many  little  eyots  in  the  river 
above  Henley,  behind  one  of  which,  in  a  place 
known  as  Solomon's  Hatch,  the  Henley  people 
have  a  charming  bathing  place.  Marsh  Lock, 
a  short  mile  from  Henley  Bridge,  is  a  point  wfell 
known  to  those  who  come  down  the  river  to 
Henley  Regatta.  These  will  not  forget  the 
extraordinary  crowding  of  boats,  the  grinding 
of  one  against  another,  the  breaking  of  out- 
riggers, the  destruction  of  varnish  and  temper, 
at  the  Lock  on  Regatta  days,   nor  the  eager 


I70 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATEa 


PhMo.,  Frilh, 


Mush  Mais  and  Bridge, 


and  impetuous  rush  with  which  the  boats 
escape  into  the  freedom  of  the  lower  waters. 
There  are  mills  on  each  side  of  the  river,  but 
the  locl<  and  weir  have  lost  a  little  of  their 
picturesqueness.  Some  years  ago,  the  tow- 
path  was  carried  over  the  lock,  weir,  and  mill- 
water  by  a  very  quaint  bridge.  There  is 
now  a  long,  white,  wooden  structure,  resting 
upon  short  piers — notvieingwith  its  predecessor 
in  picturesqueness — and  yet,  fortunately,  far 
from  being  a  disfigurement  to  the  landscape  ; 
and  the  mills  have  the  characteristic  charm  of 
most  such  structures  that  we  meet  by  the 
Thames.  The  surroundings  are  delightful, 
and  the  loci<-liouse  is  a  pretty  place,  known  to 


Photo,  Taunt, 


Above  Marsh  Lock. 


all  oarsmen  as  the  headquarters  selected  by 
the  Yale  Club  at  Henley  Regatta. 

Above  the  lock,  the  river  opens  out  like  a 
lake,  with  a  sluggish  current,  and  the  banks 
are  sedgy.     Escarpments  of  chalk  rise  on  the 
left,  with  the  lovely  hanging  woods  of  Park 
Place,   and  there   are    green    meadows   with 
splendid  poplars  on  the  other  shore,   it  may  be 
well  here,  perhaps,  to  say  something  about  the 
floral  adornments  which   add   so  very  much, 
through  the  changing  year,  to  the  beauty  of  the 
Thames.     In  all  the   quiet,   still   waters,   the 
lovely  white  and  yellow   water-lily  is  found. 
The  various  reeds  and  rushes  add  much  to  the 
charm  by  their  waving  masses,  and  their  cool 
colours.   A  well-known  ornament 
of  the  banks  is  the  flowering  rush, 
\     with  its  great  stems  bearing  um- 
bels of  pink  flowers.   Early  in  the 
summer,    the     bitter-cress    puts 
forth  its  large,  white  flower ;  and 
another  white-flowered  plant   is 
the    water-parsnip,    with    large 
leaves   and    tall    flower    spikes. 
Then     there     is    the     beautiful 
sweet    flag,    and,    with    it,   we 
may  name  the  familiar  yellow  and 
purple  loosestrife,  the  yellow  iris, 
the    water    dropwort,    and    the 
fragrant   meadow  -  sweet,  which 
loves  the    glades   which   lie   by 
the     stream    amid    the    woods. 
Among  the  meadow  plants  is  the 
snow-tlake,  which  is  like  a  larger 
snowdrop,  and    is   known    here- 
about   as    the    "  Loddon   lily," 
from  the  tributary  to  which  we 
shall  presently  allude.   The  fritil- 
iary  is  found  frequently  in  these 


Oxfiri. 


IVARGRAVE. 


ijy 


parts,  with  many  other  handsome  plants,  such 
as  the  crane's-bill,  the  clustered  bell-tlowers, 
and  various  growths  which  delight  in  the  marshy 
places.-  All  these,  and  many  more,  add  a  great 
deal  to  the  pleasure  of  those  who  frequent  the 
Thames  and  its  backwaters. 

With  all  such  flowering  growths  the  woods 
of  Park  Place  are  plenteously  beautified.  The 
road  from  Henley  to  Wargrave,  by  Twyford,  is 
on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  a  more  delightful 
country  road  through  the  woods  it  is  impos- 
sible to  imagine.  The  chalk  cliffs  are  set  back 
a  little  from  the  stream,  and  the  space  between 
..them  and  the  river  is  filled  with  most  luxuriant 
and  varied  vegetation.     At  one  point  the  road 


Wargrave  road,  as  we  have  said,  runs  through 
the  wood,  and  you  look  over  from  it  into  the 
depths  of  these  thickets.  The  house  at  Park 
Place,  which  is  now  the  seat  of  Mrs.  Noble, 
was  built  by  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  and  was 
the  occasional  residence  of  members  of  the 
Royal  Family.  At  the  end  of  the  last  century, 
General  Conway,  Governor  of  Jersey,  set 
himself  to  adorn  it,  and  it  was  he  who  spanned 
the  glen  with  the  romantic  bridge,  laid  out  the 
trim  lawn,  and  enriched  the  character  of  the 
woodland.  In  the  taste  of  his  time,  he  also 
erected  mimic  ruins,  and  even  went  to  the 
trouble  and  expense  of  transporting  from  Jersey 
a    so-called    Dru.dical    'lemple   or   circle     of 


rhotc.  Taunts 


Wargrave  from  the  Towing  path. 


Ox/ord. 


is  carried  over  an  archway,  which  was  built 
out  of  stone  brought  from  the  ruins  of  Reading 
Abbey,  and  underneath  the  arch  the  grounds 
descend  to  the  water's  edge,  giving  a  delicious 
peep  through  the  shadow  up  what  is  known  as 
the  Happy  Valley.  The  boat-house  of  Park 
Place  is  a  charming  feature  of  the  reach, 
though  some  have  found  fault  with  its  artificial 
character.  ■■  Yet  it  is  more  than  a  boat-house. 
It  is  a  pretty  little  riverside  dwelling,  and 
there  are  few  who  do  not  feel  the  charm  of  its 
high  gables — one  of  them  crowned  with  a  cross 
—  its  picturesque  barge  boards,  and  the  saints 
in  the  niches  below  them,  all  with  a  back- 
ground  of  the   most   delicious   foliage.      The 


standing  stones,  which  he  set  up  at  Park 
Place.  The  grounds  have  since  that  time  been 
divided,  and  the  house  known  as  Templecomb 
has  been  erected  in  one  part  of  them. 

Beyond  the  Druid's  Temple  the  river  i? 
divided,  and,  while  the  "main  stream  may  be 
traced  by  its  windings  to  the  right,  where 
there  are  several  beautiful  little  islands  opposite 
to  the  house  known  as  Boulney  Court,  there 
is  a  long  backwater  on  the  other  side,  which 
does  not  join  the  stream  again  until  just  before 
we  reach  Wargrave,  a  distance  of  considerably 
over  a  milev  The  main  stream  is  itself  re- 
markably pretty,  but  the  backwater  should, 
by  all  means,   be  explored.     It  is  one  of  the 


i/i 


THE   THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


Photo.,  Taunt, 


Wargrave  Church. 


most  interesting  on  tiie  Thames.  At  the  open- 
ing there  are  great  masses  of  nodding  reeds,  and, 
as  we  go  along,  the  trees  meet  overhead  and  in 
the  reflecting  water  below,  while  hawthorn 
and  sweet-brief  clothe  the  banks,  with  black- 
berries, and  many  climbing  growths,  and  there 
is  a  background  of  yews,  poplars,  and  other 
trees.  It  is  a  quiet  and  delicious  resting-place, 
where  dragon-tiies  hover  over  the  water,  and 
blue  kingfishers  dart  to  and  fro,  and  where  you 
may  even  arouse  a  heron  sometimes.  The 
bridges  are  remarkably  pretty,  and  the  whole 
place  is  so  embowered  and  still,  that  you  emerge 
almost  with  a  feeling  of  surprise  into  the  open 
water  beyond.  The  sylvan  beauties  of  the 
stately  Thames  itself  from  Boulney  to  Wargrave, 
by  the  ferry,  are  superb. 

Wargrave  is  an  old  and  picturesque  village 
upon  the  Berkshire  shore,  an  extremely  plea- 
sant place  to  sojourn  at,  with  a  hostel  of  "  St. 
George  and  the  Dragon,"  which  is  equally 
famous  for  its  hospitality  as  its  signboard.  It 
has  delighted  some  artists  to  exhibit  their 
talents  in  the  adornment  of  the  signs  of  inns, 
but  it  is  not  often  that  two  members  of  the 
Royal  Academy  collaborate  upon  a  single 
board. ""  Such  was  the  case  at  the  "George 
and  the  Dragon"  at  Wargrave.  Mr.  G.  D. 
Leslie,  R.A.,  who  had  already  tried  his  prentice 
hand  in  this  line  at  the  "  King  Harry  "  at  St. 
Stephen's,  near  St.  Albans,  adorned  the  board 


at  Wargrave  with  a  somewhat  conventional  St. 
George  in  his  triumph,  while  Mr.  J.  E. 
Hodgson,  R.A.,  depicted  on  the  other  side  the 
champion,  having  slain  the  monster,  quenching 
his  thirst  out  of  a  great  beaker  of  generous  ale. 
It  is  the  way  with  river-men  to  go  from  the 
inn  to  the  church,  and  so  we  may  go  with  them 
through  the  pleasant  village  to  the  old  church 
of  St.  Mary,  which  still  retains  a  Norman 
door  on  the  north  side,  and  is  itself  very 
picturesque,  with  walls  of  flint  and  stone,  a 
brick  tower  mantled  with  ivy,  and  very  charm- 
ing ^surroundings.  The  place  is  of  great 
antiquity,  and  a  font  ascribed  to  Saxon  times, 
which  has  been  disused,  is  in  the  churchyard. 
The  edifice  has  many  interesting  monumenis, 
including  one  of  Mr.  Day,  the  author  of  "  Sand- 
ford  and  Merton,"  who  was  killed  by  a  fall 
from  his  horse,  not  far  away,  and  another  to^ 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Raymond  White,  of  the 
Inniskilling  Dragoons,  which  was  erected  by 
his  brother  officers  in  1844.  There  are  quaint 
old  timber  houses  in  the  village,  and  a  delight- 
ful air  of  rusticity  pervades  the  place.  Just 
above  Wargrave,  the  railway  from  Henley  to 
Twyford  crosses  the  river  on  a  wooden  viaduct, 
which  is  not  unpicturesque,  and  there,  the  little 
river  Loddon  flows  into  the  stream.  Pope,  who 
has  invested  the  tributary  with  a  somewhat 
foolish  episode  concerning  the  nymph  Lodona 
being  transformed   by   Diana  into  the    river 


SHIPLAKE. 


173 


i-oddon,  in  order  to  save  her  from 
the  pursuit  of  Pan,  speal<s  of 
the  river  as— 

"  The  Loddon  slow,  with  verdant 
alders  crcwn'd." 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  stream 
is  iiere  rather  strong,  and  it  lias 
this  peculiarity,  that  it  receives 
as  a  tributary  a  bacl<water  of 
the  Thames,  which  leaves  the 
river  some  distance  higher  up. 
Tlie  peculiarity  is  increased  by 
the  fact  that,  if  you  traverse 
the  lower  part  of  the  Loddon  and 
the  baci<water — which  is  very 
swift, and  bearsthecuriousname 
of  St.  Patricl<'s  water — you  avoid 
passing  through  Shiplake  Lock. 
The  whole  place  is  very  deeply 
wooded  and  grown  with  reeds, 
so  that  the  entry  to  the  back- 
water may  have  to  be  sought 
rather  carefully  ;  and  it  should 
be  navigated  also  with  care. 
Shiplake  Mill,  which  stands  on  the  Oxfordshire 
side,  is  a  very  picturesque  building,  and  Ship- 
lake  itself  a  pleasant  village  a  little  away  from 
the  river,  partly  upon  a  chalk  cliff,  from  which 
there  is  an  extremely  pretty  view.  It  is  a 
well-known  resting  place  for  anglers  and  oars- 
men, and  has  an  interesting  church,  with 
cylindrical  piers  of  an  early  type,  and  good 
arches.  It  has  been  restored  and  enlarged,  and 
is  chiefly  notable  for  the  fact  that  it  possesses 
fine  old  stained  windows  from  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Bertin,  near  St.  Omer.  Here  Lord  Tennyson 
was  married,  as  none  foiget  who  visit  the 
church. 


Photo.,  Tarnitf 


Rustic  Bridge  neir  Wargrave  Church. 


Ox/ot-:. 


"  Oh.  the  woods  and  the  meadows, 

Woods  where  we  hid  from  the  wet ; 
Stiles  where  we  stay'd  to  be  kind, 
Meadows  in  which  we  met !  " 

So  he  wrote  in  his  "  Marriage  Morning,"  one 
of  the  pretty  song-cycle,  with  a  thought,  we 
suppose,  to  the  day  at  Shiplake  long  before. 

From  Shiplake  to  Sonning,  after  passing  a 
number  of  turns  in  the  river,  with  eyots  at  the 
bends,  we  get  into  more  open  water,  and  so 
approach  to  the  pleasant  old  village.  There 
are  remarkably  beautiful  views  both  up  astream 
and  down  from  the  old  brick  bridge  at  Sonning. 
Looking  back,  we  see  the  winding  river  among 
its  osier  beds,  flowing  across  the  open  from 


Jkoio.,  Tauftlt 


Shiplake  Lock  and  Mills  from  below. 


'  Ot/tii,  ' 


174 


THE    THAMES    HLUSTRATED. 


Pholo.,  Taunt, 


Shiplake  Church  and  Farm. 


Oxford. 


Shiplake,  with  the  wooded  hills  towards  Henlev 
behind,  while  up-stream  the  river  is  again 
narrowed  by  islands  covered  with  reeds  and 
pollard  willows,  but  having  something  of  the 
appearance  of  a  lake  beyond,  with  the  noble 
woods  of  Holme  Park  as  a  background. 
There  are  really  two  bridges  at  Sonning,  con- 
necting the  island  with  the  mainland  on  either 
side,  and  the  grouping  of  these  with  the  church 
can  scarcely  be  surpassed  on  th?  river.  The 
bridge  is  believed  to  have  an  older  record  than 


Photo..  Taiintt 


Interior  of  Ship!ake  Church. 


any  other  on  the  upper  Thames,  and  the  vil- 
lage itself  is  a  very  ancient  place,  having  been 
the  seat  of  a  bishopric  as  long  ago  as  the  loth 
and  I  ith  centuries.  The  names  of  nine  occu- 
pants of  the  See  are  known — Athelstan,  Odo, 
Osulf,  Alfstan,  Alfgarh,  Sigeric,  Alfric,  Bright- 
wold,  and  Heremann — which  last  united  his 
See  with  the  bishopric  of  Sherborne,  and 
transferred  it  to  the  1  itter  place  in  the  time  of 
King  Edward  the  Elder.  The  Bishops  of 
Salisbury  had  a  palace  at  Sonning,  even  up  t") 
Tudor  times,  and  it  is  on  record 
that  the  girl  wife  of  Richard  11.^ 
Isabella  of  France — tied  to  the  vil- 
lage after  his  deposition,  for  the' 
bishop's  protection.  It  is  recorded, 
too,  of  this  ancient^place  that 
there  was  long  ago  a  chapel  de- 
dicated to  St.  Sarac,  which  be- 
came a  famous  place  of  pilgrim- 
age for  those  afflicted  with  mad- 
ness. Natural  beauty  and  historic 
interest  thus  combine  to  add  to 
the  attractions  of  old  Sonning. 

Across  the  bridge,  where 
stands  the  old  familiar  "French 
Horn,"  lies  the  little  knot  of 
houses  known  as  Sonning  Eye. 
On  this  side  the  pleasant  road 
from  Henley  and  Shiplake  passes 
on  its  way  toCaversham  Bridge. 
There  are  lovely  wooded  views 
towards  the  hills  on  the  Oxford- 
shire side,  and  fascinating  peeps 
at  the   sylvan  scenery  on  the- 


Oy/j*-». 


SONNING. 


'/3 


other  shorebetween  the  I.oddon  and  the  Thames. 
Such  points  as  these  have  interest,  with 
knowledge  of  the  boating  facilities  and  the 
excellent  jack,  roach,  barbel,  and  other  fishing 
it  affords  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sonning,  for 
the  Thames  wayfarer.  The  village  is  as 
picturesque  as  any  on  the  river,  with  quaint 
old  houses  of  brick  lifting  their  high  gables  and 
tiled  roofs  over  the  way,  and  climbing  roses, 
honeysuckle,  ivy  and  Virginia  Creeper  cluster- 
ing up  to  their  latticed  panes.  Not  much  of  the 
place  can  be  seen  from  the  river,  but  a  short 
walk  brings  the  delighted  visitor  to  exceedingly 
pretty  scenes.  Small  wonder,  then,  that  many 
artists  and  writers  have  spent  their  leisure  at 


is  Christ  blessing  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  on 
the  other  a  representation  of  kings  and  queens 
crowned.  The  church  has  been  restored,  and  has 
a  modern  font  with  a  lofty  cover  of  tabernacle 
work.  There  are  many  monuments,  one  of  a 
Lady  Lidcott  (1630),  who  kneels  like  other 
deceased  ladies  in  Thames-side  churches.  A 
chapel  on  the  south  side,  which  is  now  almost 
entirely  tilled  by  the  organ,  contains  many 
memorials  of  a  family  of  the  name  of  Barker, 
with  some  very  curious  inscriptions.  In  order 
to  accommodate  the  organ,  tlie  monument  of 
Sir  Thomas  Rich  and  his  son,  who  died  in  the 
17th  century,  was  removed  by  the  "  restorers  " 
who  transported  it  to  the  west  end  of  the  edifice. 


Photo  ,   Taunt, 


The  Thames,  from  Shiplake  Court. 


Ox/orti, 


Sonning.  Sketching  tents  and  easels  are  always 
to  be  discovered  by  the  bridge,  on  the  banks,  or 
in  the  street  of  the  little  village.  Here,  too,  we 
remember  that  Sydney  Smith  was  living  when 
he  wrote  his  "Peter  Plymley's  Letters."  Theold 
church  of  St.  Andrew — whose  statue  is  over  the 
north  porch — consists  of  nave,  chancel  and 
aisles — the  south  aisle  being  of  the  best 
Decorated  work,  and  the  north  remarkable  lor 
its  carved  enrichments.  There  is  a  good 
chequered  Perpendicular  tower,  in  which  hangs 
a  peal  of  bells  famous  for  their  sweetness.  A 
remarkable  feature  is  an  archway  in  the  north 
chancel  aisle^ot  which  the  keystone  bears  the 
arms  of  the  See  of  Salisbury,  while  on  one  side 


The  curious  in  such  mntters  will  find  much  of 
interest  in  the  memorials  of  the  church.  Son- 
ning Lock  is  famous  for  its  roses,  and  its 
deeply-wooded  surroundings,  and  the  "  Thames 
Parade" — a  name  that  gives  no  idea  of  the 
sweet  river-side  beauty  of  the  place — is  a  de- 
light to  all  who  sojourn  at  the  village. 

But,  beyond  Sonning,  and  its  little  archi- 
pelago, and  noble  reach  of  water,  as  we 
fare  upward,  the  river  begins  to  decline  in  its 
interest  and  beauty,  and  it  is  not  very  long 
before  the  smoke  of  Reading  enters  into  the 
prospect.  The  outlook  is  then  not  picturesque. 
Yet  we,  who  have  enjoyed  so  much,  must  not 
grlimble    that   we    have    reached    the    most 


176 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


rhoto.,  'J aunt. 


Sonoing  Charcf),  from  the  North- West. 


Oxford, 


prosperous  town  in  Berkshire.  As  Sliai<espeare 
says — 

"  The  sweetest  honey 
Is  loathesome  in  his  own  deliciousness, 
And  in  the  taste  confounds  the  appetite." 

And  so  tlie  Tiiames — in  order,  as  it  were,  to 
mal<e  us  better  enjoy  the  beauties  of  Maple- 
duriiam,  Pangbourne,  Streatley  and  Goring, 
doffs  his  picturesque  garb  awhile,  and   bids  us 


fhtU.,  Taunt, 


Sonning  Old  Bridge  to  Sonning  Eye. 


look  across  the  level  King's  Mead,  where  the 
sluggish  Kennet,  "  for  silver  eels  renown'd," 
flows  ignominiously  to  its  confluence.  You 
would  never  think,  to  look  at  the  dull  outpour- 
ing of  the  stream,  how  charming  is  the  country 
through  which  it  flows  in  the  historic  vale  of 
Newbury,  and  higher  again  in  its  Wiltshire 
birthplace.  As  to  Reading  itself,  you  cannot 
see  much  of  it  from  the  Thames,  for  the  long 
embankment  of  the  railway, 
wiiich  appears  to  be  threatening 
the  river  by  its  approach,  cuts 
off  a  good  deal  of  the  town  from 
view,  though  the  steeple  of  the 
church  of  St.  Lawrence  and 
other  features  rise  upward. 

Although  we  must  not  dwell 
on  its  interests  here,  Reading  is 
not  a  place  to  be  ignored  by 
those  who  traverse  the  Thames. 
It  is  at  once  a  fine  modern  town, 
famous  for  biscuits,  agriculture, 
and  garden  seeds,  and  a  place  of 
high  antiquity.  Those  astute 
seamen,  the  Danes — who  man- 
aged to  circumvent  London 
Bridge — succeeded,  we  are  told, 
in  bringing  their  warships  even 
rsfar  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kennet, 


Ojt/ard, 


CAVERSHAM. 


177 


111  the  year 
were  trans- 
Round  about 


Flioio.,  I'autu, 

whence  they  started  upon  their  campaign  into 
Wessex  It  is  a  matter  to  which  allusion  will 
be  made  later  on.  Asser  says  that  on  the 
third  day  after  their  arrival,  while  some  s'coured 
the  country,  others  entrenched  themselves  in 
the  angle  between  the  Thames  and  the  Kennet. 
It  was  a  base  of  advantage  for  their  operations, 
for  they  were  protected  on  all  sides,  and  their 
boats  could  bring  them  supplies  harried  from 
the  fruitful  valley  of  the  Thames.  Plant- 
agenet  kings  were  often  at  Reading,  and 
Parliament  sat  there  when  plague  made 
Westminster  undesirable,  and, 
1625,  even  the  law  courts 
ferred  to  the  salubrious  town. 
the  place  a  great  deal  of  fighting 
took  place  in  the  Civil  Wars,  and 
Essex  captured  it  from  the  king, 
though  not,  perhaps,  to  his 
ultimate  advantage.  The  Bene- 
dictine Abbey,  which  had  been 
founded  by  Henry  !.,  and  had 
suffered  a  good  deal  structurally 
alter  the  Reformation,  was  fur- 
ther battered  by  Parliamentary 
guns  planted  at  Caversham,  and 
now  presents  little  more  than  a 
great  block  of  almost  shapeless 
masonry,  with  round  arches  of 
enormous  strength..  As  we  have 
seen.  General  Ccnwav  further 
despoiled  the  place  for  the  build- 
ing of  his  bridge  near  Henley. 
Henry  1.  and  other  royal  per- 
sonages   were     buried    in    tlie    rhot«.  launi. 


Soiining  Lock. 


Oifird. 

Abbey  Church,  where  some  royal  weddings 
were  celebrated  in  the  Middle  Ages.  But 
Reading,  much  as  it  has  to  offer  of  further 
interest,  must  not  delay  our  journeying. 

Caversham  is  its  neighbour  across  the  river 
Thames,  a  more  attractive  place,  connected 
with  the  town  by  an  ugly  bridge  of  iron  girders 
and  pillars  about  whichtherearebroadmeadows, 
often  flooded  in  the  winter.  The  place  has  an 
interesting  church,  partly  Norman,  of  which 
the  tower  rises  picturesquely  amid  the  woods 
which  fringe  the  river.  In  the  middle  of  the 
stream  there  is  a  little  island  upon  which  it  ii 
said  a  "  wager  of  battle  "  was  fought  between 
Robert  de  Monlfort  and  Henry  de  Essex,  in  the 


Caversham  Weir  and  Pool. 


Ox/ord. 


178 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


presence  of  Henry  II.  At  Caversham  died  the 
celebrated  William  Marshal,  Earl  of  Pembroke. 
In  the  Civil  War  the  place  was  garrisoned  for 
the  king,  but  the  Royal  forces  were  driven  out 
by  Essex  in  the  course  of  his  somewhat  abortive 
campaign  in  1643.  He  planted  his  ordnance  on 
the  iiill,  whence  he  was  so  far  able  to  damage 
Reading  that  the  wounded  governor  offered  to 
surrender,  if  the  garrison  might  march  out  with 
the  honours  of  war.  This  was  at  first  refused, 
and  Charles  and  Prince  Rupert— notwithstand- 
ing the  defeat  at  Dorchester — advanced  as  far 
as  Caversham  Bridge  with  the  purpose  of  raising 
the  siege.  There,  a  hotly  contested  battle  took 
place,  in  which  the  Royalists  were  defeated, 
and  fell  back.  Reading  then  surrendered,  after 
a  siege  of  ten  days,  when  t!ie  health  of  the 
soldiers  in  the  town  was  broken,  and  mortality 
and  desertion  had  thinned  their  ranks.  Four 
thousand  men,  however,  remained,  who  were 
allowed  to  march  out  with  arms  and  ammLmition, 
colours  flying,  and  drums  beating;  and, .though 
the  fall  of  the  town  was  a  blow  to  the  prestige 
of  the  Royalists,  it  relieved  them  of  a  difficulty, 
and  added  this  large  body  of  seasoned  soldiers  to 
their  forces  in  the  field.  Of  pleasant  Caversham, 
we  shall  have  little  more  to  say.  In  the  original 
mansion  of  Caversham  Park,  which  is  situated 
upon  the  hill.  Lord  Knowles  splendidly  enter- 
tained Queen  Anne  of  Denmark  in  1613,  and  it 
was  to  the  same  house  that  Charles  1.,  when  he 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  Parliament,  having  met 


his  children  after  a  long  separation  at  Maiden- 
head, rode  with  them.  Here  they  spent  a  lew 
days  together,  owing  to  the  courtesy  of  Fairfax 
and  the  goodwill  or  the  army,  as  Clarendon 
records.  The  woods  which  surrounded  the 
house  suffered  a  good  deal  in  subsequent 
fighting,  and  Evelyn  deplored  the  destruc- 
tion. The  place  was  afterwards  the  resi- 
dence of  General  Cadogan,  wlio  fought  at 
Ramillies,  led  the  van  at  Oudenarde,  and 
broke  the  lines  at  Bouchain.  The  house  was 
twice  destroyed  by  fire,  and  was  last  rebuilt 
in  1850. 

The  aspect  of  the  Thames  between  Reading 
and  Caversham,  though  not  to  be  accounted 
picturesque,  already  gives  promise,  as  we  look 
forward,  of  the  sylvan  beauties  that  are  to 
come,  and  its  open  character  forms  a  useful 
break  in  the  woodland  journeying.  Broad  and 
eddying  waters  like  these,  with  barges  laden  to 
the  gunwale,  or  pleasure  boats  hoisting  their 
sails,  eel-bucks  to  add  picturesqueness,  and 
great  clouds  driving  across  the  blue  vault 
above,  can  never  fail  in  their  charm.  We  have 
traversed  by  Windsor,  Cliveden,  Cookham, 
Marlow,  and  Henley,  many  entrancingly 
beautiful  regions  of  the  river,  and  we  shall 
find,  as  we  go  onward,  that  the  Thames  has 
equal  charms  yet  in  store,  and  places  not 
less  interesting  and  attractive  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  those  who  pursue  their  leisurely  way 
with  its  winding  course  towards  O.xford. 


PHofo.,   Taitnt, 


The  Eel-Bucks  at  Caversham. 


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Mapledurham    Weir 


pOK  some  two  miles  above  Caversham 
Bridge  the  Tiiames  has  no  very 
striking  features  to  offer  us,  though 
in  many  ways  it  is  beautiful  enough. 
On  the  Oxfordshire  side  the  hill  is 
steep,  and  well  clothed  with  Scotch 
firs,  and  there  are  chalk  cliffs  here  and  there, 
while  the  railway  approaches  close  to  the 
river  on  the  right  bank,  where  the  tow-path 
is.  The  line,  however,  plunges  very  soon  into 
a  cutting,  and  is  no  disfigurement  to  the  river. 
The  hills  rise  on  that  side,  too,  and,  when  we 
get  to  the  "  Roebuck,"  which  is  about  three 
miles  from  Caversham  Bridge,  the  stream 
grows  narrower  between  the  banks,  in  a 
romantic  gorge,  shadowed  by  a  multitude  of 
trees.  It  is  the  beginning  of  one  of  the  loveliest 
regions  of  the  Thames.  Many  contend  that' 
the  river  from  Mapledurham  to  Streatley  is  in 
the  finest  part  of  its  course,  and  we  are  not 
here  concerned  to  dispute  with  them.  What 
no  one  can  gainsay  is  that  these  reaches  up  to 
Streatley  hold  their  own  with  those  at  Clive- 
den and  Cookham,  at  Wargrave  and  Sonning, 
as  at  Nuneham  further  along.  If  we  may 
judge  the  beauty  of  a  place  by  the  array  of 
sketching  tents,  umbrellas,,  and  easels,  which  it 
attracts,  and  the  number  of  pictures  it  furnishes 
to  the  Academy  and  other  galleries,  we  must 
give  the  part  of  the  river  upon  which  we  are 
about  to  enter  a  very  high  place  indeed. 

The  clear  water,  the  far  overhanging  trees, 
and  the  noble  vista,  make  the  river  up  to 
.Mapledurham  extremely  beautiful.     Mapledur- 


ham itself,  on  the  Oxfordshire  side,  is 
almost  a  legendary  place.  This  old  Tudor 
manor-house  of  the  Blounts  stands  away  from 
the  river,  hidden  among  the  trees,  and,  until 
the  autumn  winds  have  blown,  you  can 
scarcely  see  it  from  your  boat.  It  is  just  the 
place  to  weave  stories  about,  and  you  can 
scarcely  help  fancying  that  some  ghostly 
mysteries  hover  about  it.  There  are  secret 
rooms  and  passages  in  it  such,  as  were  common 
in  Tudor  times,  wlien  hunted  men  tied  for  safety 
to  places  like  this.  It  is  a  many-gabled  house, 
with  mullioned  windows,  towering  chimneys, 
and  a  rare  aspect  of  old-world  quaintness ; 
within,  a  great  staircase,  panelled  rooms,  and 
walls  liung  with  family  portraits.  The  house 
was  built  in  1581,  by  Sir  .Michael  Blount,  then 
Lieutenant  of  the  Tower.  In  the  Civil  Wars, 
Sir  Charles  Blount  defended  it  stoutly  against 
the  Parliament.  The  works  had  been  super- 
vised by  Sir  Cuthbert  Aston,  governor  of 
Reading,  but,  after  standing  out  manfully  for 
some  ti7ne,  Mapledurham  fell  before  the  enemy. 
The  house  has  acquired  celebrity  because  of 
Pope's  admiration  .for  Teresa  and  Martha,  the 
two  daughters  of  Mr.  Lister  Blount.  The 
Blounts  were  friends  of  the  Popes,  and  the  poet's 
mother  wrote  to  him,  in  her  curious  ortho- 
graphy, "  there's  Mr.  Blunt  of  Maypell  Durom 
is  dead."  After  their  father's  death,  Teresa  and 
Martha  were  often  at  Twickenham,  when  the 
friendship  grew  stronger  with  Pope.  It  is  need- 
less to  defend  the  poet  in  this  matter.'  The 
little   man,    with   his    "crazy   carcass,"    was 


'94 


THE   THAMES   lEfMSTR.ITEf) 


fhcic.  Taun:  MapUdurham 

certainly  no  Lothario,  and  his  affectation  of 
devoted  attachment  to  the  two  young  ladies 
was  merely  after  the  manner  of  his  artificial 
time.  He  quarrelled  with  Teresa,  and  it  would 
be  hard  to  grudge  such  pleasure  as  he  derived 
from  the  bright  eyes  of  Patty  Blount.  We  may 
picture  her  still  at  Mapledurham,  where,  after 
the  coronation  of  George  I., 

"  She  went  to  p.ain-work  and  to  purling  brooks. 
Old  fashion'd  halls,  dull  Eunts,  and  croaking  rooks; 
She  went  from  opera,  park,  assembly,  play, 
To  morning-walks,  and  prayers  three  hours  a  d.iy  ; 
To  part  her  fimt;  'twi;;t  leading  and  bohca 
To  niuso,  and  spill  her  so  'tary  tea." 


fHi)'0..   Taunt, 


Mapledurham  Lock. 


Church.  "^^'"^ 

Pope  and  the  Blounts  belonged  to  the  same 
faith,  and  Mapledurham  Church,  which  stands 
near  the  river,  and  well  deserves  inspection, 
is  like  the  church  at  Arundel — a  curious  instance 
of  a  divided  edifice.  While  the  nave  and  chancel 
are  given  up  to  the  Established  Church,  the 
Blounts  claim  and  hold  the  south  aisle  as  their 
own.  It  is  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  structure, 
and,  upon  the  death  of  any  member  of  the 
family,  the  Catholic  burial  service  is  held 
within  it.  There  is  a  very  fine  monument  here 
of  Sir  Richard  Blount,  in  armour,  and  his  wife, 
iilizabeth  in  ruff  and  farthingale.  A  pair  of 
great  old-fashioned  iron  gates 
form  the  entrance  from  the  house 
to  the  church,  while  on  the  other 
side  is  an  ancient  avenue  of 
venerable  elms. 

Warren  Hastings  must  have 
looked  across  tlie  river  from 
Purley  to  this  sequestered  old 
place  with  curious  interest.  He 
lived  in  the  little  village  for  some 
time  before  the  oncoming  of 
his  impeachment,  and  when  he 
was  negotiating  for  the  purchase 
of  Daylesford,  where  he  died. 
It  may  be  remembered  that, 
when  he  arrived  in  England, 
he  was  greatly  disappointed  not 
to  find  his  wife  in  town,  and 
that  their  meeting  took  place 
on  Maidenhead  Bridge.  The 
mill  at  Mapledurham  has  beep 


MAPLEDURHAM. 


195 


a  subject  for  many  artists,  and  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  picturesque  on  the  whole  river— so 
picturesque,  indeed,  with  its  old  brick  wails, 
little  windows,  timber  gables,  and  tiled  roof, 
and  its  quaint  bridge  and  surroundings,  that 
some  have  thought  its  picturesqueness  artificial. 
However  that  may  be,  it  is  certainly  remark- 
ably pretty.  There  is  a  small  island  above 
the  weir — and  a  very  noble  weir  it  is,  all  over- 
hung by  trees--which  is  a  favourite  resort  of 
campers;  and  then  the  river  opens  out  wide 
and  beautiful,  and  Hardwicke  House  comes  into 
view  on  the  Oxfordshire  side,  at  the  foot  of  a 
great  wooded  hill,  not  coyly  retiring  like 
Mnpledurham,  but  showing  you,  in  the  most 


Whitchurch  are  equally  pleasant  places  to 
linger  at.  The  little  river  Pang  gives  its  name 
to  the  former  of  them,  and  flows  into  the 
Thames  near  to  the  old  "Swan"  Hotel. 
The  scenery  at  this  point,  over  the  weir 
and  towards  the  bridge,  is  particularly 
beautiful,  and,  from  the  bridge  itself,  a  very 
charming  set  of  pictures  is  disclosed.  Looking 
upward,  there  isthequaintchurch  of  Whitchurch 
on  the  right  hand,  with  its  short  shingle- 
covered  spire,  and  the  old  and  picturesque 
mill,  while  the  lock  is  in  the  middle,  with  a 
great  overhanging  tree,  and  on  the  left,  the 
weir  breaks  into  foam,  embosomed  amid  the 
foliage  of  its  barks.     The  church  and  the  mill 


Mapledurham  House,  from  the  Lawn. 


inviting  manner,  all  the  charms  it  has  to  offer. 
It  is  a  many-gabled  mansion,  very  picturesque 
indeed,  and  with  a  terrace  not  unworthy  of 
Haddon  Hall.  Here,  they  say,  Charles  I.  was 
accustomed  to  practise  his  favourite  game  of 
bowls,  and  he  could  scarcely  have  chosen  a 
more  pleasant  place  for  the  occupation. 

Between  this  point  and  Whitchurch  Bridge 
the  course  of  the  Thames  is  almost  straight, 
and  the  reach  exceedingly  fine,  with  overhang- 
ing trees,  chiefly  on  the  Oxfordshire  side. 
Reeds  break  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  hear  them  rustling  along  the  side  of 
the  boat  as  we  pull  up  towards  the  wooden 
bridge.      The  twin  villages  of  Pangbourne  and 


together  lie  very  prettily  near  the  river, 
while  the  village  itself  struggles  up  the  steep 
hill  behind,  in  a  charming  situation  with  many 
a  house  welt  known  to  the  anglers  who  fre- 
quent the  place.  Except  for  its  prettiness, 
and  the  facilities  which  it  offers  to  those  who 
traverse  the  river  or  linger  to  enjoy  its  angling, 
Whitchurch  has  little  to  call  for  note.  You 
may  find,  indeed,  in  the  church  some  Norman 
features  and  a  few  very  interesting  brasses 
and  memorials,  but  the  edifice  has  been  a  good 
deal  restored. 

Pangbourne,  on  the  other  side  of  tlie  river 
is  a  very  favourite  resort.  All  along  the  ban! 
hous'es  have  sprung  up,  and  it  is  very  curiou. 


I05 


77/ A"   THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


SV  iUlCiiUICIi 


to  see  how  the  chalk  cliff  at  Shooter's  Hill  has 
been  cut  away  to  accommodate  them  upon  the 
reach  above  the  bridge.  It  must  be  confessed 
that  something  of  the  charm  of  old  Pangbourne 
is  destroyed  by  such  brand  -  new  edifices, 
though  they  are  architecturally  of  very  good 
character.  The  railway  runs  quite  near  to  the 
bank  on  this  side,  hidden  by  the  chalk  cliff, 
and,  between  the  railway  and  the  road,  the 
cliff  has  been  scooped  out  in  a  singular  fashion 


Pkoto..   launt. 


Whitchurch  V.Uage. 


J->:  lugt. 

to  admit  of  the  building  of  the  houses. 
Pangbourne  itself  lies  back  a  little  from  the 
river,  but  is  very  well  known  to  boating  men, 
and  has  pleasant  resorts  in  the  pretty  "  Swan," 
with  its  artistic  signboard,  by  the  river,  and  in 
the  "  George  "  and  "  Elephant,"  in  the  town. 
The  church  is  modern,  and  is  a  building  of  fine 
character,  its  red  brick  tower  surviving  from 
1 71 8,  and  there  are  some  interesting  monu- 
ments within.  The  finest  of  these  is  that  of 
Sir  John  Davis,  who  was 
knighted  for  his  prowess  in 
Spain,  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth. 
He  is  represented  in  a  recum- 
bent effigy,  with  his  two  wives, 
beneath  an  elaborate  canopy, 
and  with  two  little  figures  of 
children  kneeling  below.  The 
'iiurch  possesses,  also,  a  mural 
.lion  II  ment  of  the  three  daughters 
of  Sir  John  Suckling,  Comp- 
troller of  the  Household  to 
Charles  1.,  who  was  concerned 
in  the  army  plot  and  in  the 
attempt  to  bring  about  the 
release  of  Strafford  from  the 
..,jA-: :  Tower. 
^MBH  The  charms  of  this  delightful 

^^^^H|      neighbourliood  are  by  no  means 
'^^^^      confined  to  the  river.    The  coun- 
oxtord.   try  inland  is  very  beautiful,  and 


PANGBOURNE. 


197 


Pheto,.  Taunt 


Pangbouine  Weir,  from  the  Lock-Hoj;e. 


Oxjord 


the  road  from  Reading  to  Oxford,  w  hich  is  tire 

neiglibOLir    of   tlie    Tliames  on  tire    Berl<sliire 

side,  is  remarl<aliiy  lieantiful  as  it  jxrsses  over 

tire  hill  by  Basildon  to  Streatley,  affording  a 

glorious  view  of  the  winding  river  beneath  the 

deep  slope  of  Hart's  Wood  on  the  other  side. 

There  is,  too,  a  romantically  beautiful  footpath 

from  Whitchurch  to  Goring  on  the  Oxfordshire 

bank.     It  passes  along  the  top  of  the  wood, 

with   a    "Lover's   Leap"    by  the  way,   and 

varied  and  attractive  views.     The  cultivation 

of   osiers   for   commerce   may   be  noted   as  a 

curious  and  profitable  industry  along  this  part 

of  the   river,  and   the   osier  farms   are  very 

pleasant  to  visit.    Not  long  ago, 

there  was  an    ancient  dame  at 

one  of  them,  whose  years  were 

near  live-score,  but   who  could 

strip  the  rods  and  bind  them  as 

featly  as  any  young  one  in  the 

crowd.      The  rods  are  gathered 

from  the  eyots  in  punts,  and  are 

tied  up   and  placed  with   their 

roots  downward  in  a  protected 

piece  of  water,  where  they  shoot 

afresh,  and  then,  in  due  season, 

rapid  fingers  strip  them  of  their 

bark  by  an  ingenious  method, 

and   they   come   out    the  long 

white  rods  that  are  the  wickers 

of  commerce,  of  market  baskets 

and  garden  chairs,  which  may 

all    remind   us    of    the    Upper 

Thames. 

Hart's  Wood,  which  is  chiefly 


of  glorious  beeches,  looking  magnificent  in  the 
autumn,  resembles,  in  many  ways,  the  hanging 
woods  of  Cliveden,  and  the  reach  of  the  Thames 
below  it  scarcely  yields  in  beauty  to  the 
romantic  water  above  Maidenhead.  There  is  a 
flat  space  between  the  wood  and  the  river, 
which  is  quite  an  ideal  spot  for  camping,  but 
those  who  wish  to  pitch  their  tents  there  will  do 
well  to  make  enquiries  at  Combe  Lodge,  which 
stands  in  a  tine  position  among  oak  trees  on  the 
Oxfordshire  side.  The  cliffs  that  emerge  from 
the  beech  thickets  add  interest  to  Hart's  Wood. 
The  wood  takes  its  name,  as  did  a  lock  which 
formerly  stood  about  the  middle  of  the  reach, 


The  "Swan,"  Pangbourne. 


Ox/oraU 


iqH 


THE    THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


View  from  Hart's  Wood,  looking  down. 


Ox/oru 


from  a  lock-keeper  named  Hart,  who  belonged 
to  a  family  of  almost  ancestral  lock-keepers  on 
the  Thames.  The  reed-grown  eyots  in  the 
Hart's  Wood  Reach  mark  the  position  of  the 
old  lock  and  weir. 

Between  this  hanging  wood  and  the 
meadows  on  the  Berkshire  shore  we  pull  for- 
ward to  the  ferry,  where  the  towpath  crosses 
to  the  Oxfordshire  side,  and  to  the  little  village 
of  Gateiiampton,  which  the  natives  call 
"  Gattenton."  As  is  customary  on  the 
Thames,  picturesque  old  barges  lie  under  the 
shore  tor  the  transport  of  horses  and  passengers. 


Photo.,  Taunt, 


The  Upper  Path,  Hart's  Wood. 


The  hills  on  the  Berkshire  side  have  now 
risen  from  the  meadows,  and  continue  in  a 
hi.i;h  range  all  the  way  to  the  famous  hill  at 
Streatley.  Basildon  Park,  the  seat  of  Mr. 
Charles  Morrison,  is  upon  the  hill,  in  a  superb 
situation,  commanding  a  magnificent  view  of 
the  river.  It  is  a  house  of  classic  character,  and 
contains  a  very  celebrated  collection  of  pictures 
and  works  of  art.  The  quaint  little  tlint-built 
church,  which  goes  back  to  the  times  of  the 
Edwards,  looks  rather  solitary  where  it  stands 
nearer  the  river. 

Basildon  became  well  known  in  the  last 
century  through  the  residence 
there  of  the  Fanes.  Lady  Fane 
built  one  of  those  curious  grot- 
toes, which  were  so  dear  to  the 
satin-coated  gentlemen  and  pow- 
dered ladies  of  the  times  of  Anne 
and  the  Georges.  They  look 
very  melancholy,  indeed,  in 
these  days  where  you  can  find 
tliem,  despoiled  of  all  their 
glories,  and  with  nothing  re- 
maining but  the  stucco  that  held 
them  together.  Pope,  himself, 
as  we  saw  at  Twickenham, 
delighted  in  such  a  place. 
Curiously  enough,  he  called 
upon  those  who  trod  its  "sacred 
floor"  to  view  "great  Nature," 
and  "  eye  the  mine  without  a 
wish  for  gold  "     So,  too,  did  a 


ST  RE  AT  LEY. 


199 


poetaster  of  tlie  name  of  Graves,  whose 
effusion  has  been  collected  by  Dodsley,  find 
delights  in  the  grotto  of  Lady  Fane,  at 
Basildon.  The  "  grot  divine,  "  and  the 
"miracles  wrought  by  shells,"  awoke  his 
enthusiasm  to  utterance  in  the  feeblest  verse, 
from  which  we  will  not  weary  the  reader  by 
quoting. 

It  is  better,  much,  to  turn  from  such  artifi- 
cialities and  inanities  to  the  noble  river  which 
sweepstowardsStreailey  in  a  ma^^nificent curve. 
A  long  white  house,  which  stands  where  the 
grotto  was,  commands  a  glorious  prospect  of 
the  stream  in  this  superb  part  of  its  course. 
The   gardens   of   the   house   are    exceedingly 


of  which  lend  themselves  in  a  quite  surprising 
manner  to  pictorial  effects.  The  bridge  itself, 
the  hill,  the  quaint  cottages,  the  river  with  its 
two  mills,  its  eyots,  and  backwaters,  are  all 
most  delightful.  Fishermen  know  the  place 
well.  Here  we  have  barbel,  roach,  dace,  jack, 
excellent  chub,  and,  rather  rarely,  perch.  It 
is  a  delightfully  lazy  occupation  to  look  down 
into  the  gravel  of  the  bed  by  the  old  bridge 
piers,  and  watch  the  barbel,  on  a  fins  "Way 
morning,  digging  out  tlie  holes  for  the  deposi 
of  their  spawn.  From.  Goring,  Streatley  makes 
a  charming  picture,  with  the  bridge  and  the 
mills  in  the  foreground  ;  but  Goring  itself  we 
shall  leave  for  a  while,  and  be  content  for  the 


Photo.,   Taunt, 


The  "  Swan,"  Streatley. 


beautiful,  charmingly  timbered,  and  have  the 
most  lovely  walks  along  the  water's  edge. 
Before  we  reach  that  point,  however,  the  rail- 
way, which  turns  to  the  Oxfordshire  side,  in 
order  to  avoid  Streatley  Hill,  has  crossed  the 
river  a  little  above  the  ferry,  upon  a  red  brick 
bridge  of  four  arches,  designed  by  Brunei,  to 
Goring. 

Streatley  Hill  is  a  great  landmark  in  .the 
country  hereabout,  with  its  juniper-covered 
slope  and  wooded  crest,  from  which  there  is 
such  a  great  prospect,  both  up-stream  and 
down.  Streatley  and  Goring,  like  Pangbourne 
and  Whitchurch,  are  twin  \-illages,  connected 
by  a  pretty  wooden  bridge,  the  surroundings 


present  to  explore  the  delights  of  Streatley. 
Rushing  weirs,  lovely  woods,  and  a  great  hill 
are  its  neighbours.  There  is  health  in  its 
breezes,  and  pleasure  in  the  occupations  it 
affords.  By  situation,  the  place  was  long  ago 
of  high  importance,  and  its  name  bespeaks  the 
fact  that  one  or  more  Roman  roads  passed  this 
way.  The  road  from  Silchester  to  Oxford 
passed  through  Pangbourne,  Basildon,  and 
Streatley,  by  the  way  of  the  present  turnpike, 
and,  at  the  top  of  Streatley  village, "crossed 
almost  at  right  angles  the  celebrated  Icknield 
Way,  which  can  be  traced  through  Bedfordshire 
and  Buckingham,  along  the  base  of  the  Chil- 
terns,  towards  Goring,   and  to  a  ford  in  the 


200 


lilE    THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


''"'"■■  '""""■'■  Strcatley 

river,  where  was  a  sunken  causeway,  wlience 
it  ascended  the  hill  tiirough  Streatiey,  and 
passed  onwards  by  Aidwortii  on  the  liili,  in  its 
westward  course.  Here,  then,  was  a  Roman 
station,  and  tliese  are  not  the  only  old  roads 
which  can  be  traced  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Ihe  village.  The  little  place  has  certainly,  in 
its  time,  given  lodging  to  many  famous  men. 
The  Conqueror  himself,  after  the  battle  of 
Hastings,  after  harrying  Sussex  and  Kent,  and 
burning  Southwark,  marched  this  way  to 
VVallingford,  and  there  received  the  submission 
of  Wiggod,  Sheriff  of  Oxfordshire,  the  first 
Fnglishman  of  rank'  to  join  his  cause. 


Jftc/a.,  7'aiiiif, 


Basildon   ViUaie. 


Bridge.  ''^-"'^'■ 

The  "  Swan  "  Inn  by  the  river  at  Streatiey 
is  a  very  famous  Thames  hostelry,  and  the 
"  Bull  "  in  the  village  scarcely  less  so.  Streat- 
iey is,  happily,  not  yet  spoiled.  Quaint  old 
cottages  still  line  the  roadway,  and  the  street 
climbs  the  hill  under  a  fine  spreading  walnut 
tree.  The  little  thatched  dwellings,  at  whose 
doors  the  gossips  discuss  the  news  of  the  vil- 
lage, neighbour  the  "great  house,"  which 
stands  with  drawn  blinds,  half  hidden  by  its 
shrubbery,  opposite  to  the  walnut  tree  ;  and 
the  great  masses  of  the  chalk  hill  behind  form 
a  pleasing  background  to  the  picturesque  scene. 
It  is  \er\'  pleasant  to  spend  a  few  days  in  this 
village,  for  the  exploration  of 
its  fascinating  neighbourhood. 
iNot  all,  perhaps,  may  Lie  so 
fortunate  as  Mr.  Pennell,  whose 
landlady  led  him  up  almost  to 
the  top  of  the  hilly  road,  to  a 
cottage  with  a  deep  thatched 
roof,  and  a  gable,  where  an  angel 
with  outstretched  wings,  and 
folded  hands,  kept  watch,  while 
the  motto  "Nisi  Dominus  frus- 
tra,"  in  brass  nails,  was  ham- 
mered into  the  door.  This  door 
"  opened  from  the  front  garden 
into  a  low  room,  with  great 
rafters  across  the  ceiling,  and  a 
huge  fireplace,  where  every 
morning  o»  our  stay  we  saw  our 
bacon  broiled,  and  our  bread 
toasted  ;  here  were  jugs  and 
jars  on  the  carved  mantelshelf, 


STREATLEY 


20 1 


volumes  of  Balzac  and  Tourgeneff,  Walt 
Whitman  and  George  Eliot,  Carlisle,  and 
Thackeray,  on  the  book-shelves  ;  photographs 
from  Florentine  pictures  on  the  walls,  brass 
pots  hanging  from  the  rafters."  Such  a  place 
is  old-fashioned  Streatley — a  rustic  village, 
which  the  railway  has,  happily,  left  on  one 
side.  Blessings,  therefore,  on  Streatley  Hill, 
say  those  who  love  the  Thames,  since  its 
wooded  height  turned  the  iron  monster  away 
from  the  Berkshire  shore  ;  and  may  the  blue 
smoke  long  continue  to  curl  up  from  those  old- 
fashioned  chimneys  above  the  thatch  ! 

We  shall  not  forget  the  foolish  lassitude  of 
Punch's  Lazy  Minstrel,  who  pulled  the  "Shut- 


The  church  is  the  most  interesting  feature 
in  the  village,  and  is  most  prettily  situated 
amidst  spreading  trees,  as  the  pictures  will 
show.  It  was  endowed  as  a  vicarage  by 
Bishop  Pone,  of  Salisbury,  and  there  was  a  small 
Dominican  Priory  attached  to  it.  Many  fea- 
tures of  the  little  church  are  of  interest,  and  it 
has  been  remarked  that  its  details  resemble 
those  of  Salisbury  Cathedral.  The  tower  is 
square  and  good,  mantled  with  ivy,  and  lock- 
ing very  charming  from  almost  every  point  of 
view.  There  are  some  good  brasses  in  the 
church,  and  other  features  of  uiterest. 

But  it  is  now  time  to  climb  Streatley  Hill. 
It  is  an  outlying  portion  of  the  great  Berkshire 


Thato.,  Taunt.  StfCatley, 

tlecock"  beside  the  "Swan,"  and  declared;— 

"  I'd  rather  much  sit  here  and  laze 

Thau  scale  the  hill  at  Streatley." 

It  was  a  foolish  resolve,  and  we  shall 
presently  assume  the  better  part  and  ascend 
10  the  crest ;  at  the  same  time  freely  admitting 
that  there  are  abundant  delights  by  the  shore, 
and  that  the  Lazy  Minstrel  found  certainly 
much  to  his  satisfaction  by  tlie  water's  side. 

"  I  sit  atid  lounge  here  uu  the  grass,         - 
And  watch  the  river  trallic  pass ; 
I  note  a  dimpled,  lair  young  lass, 

Who  fi^athers  low  and  neatly  ; 
Her  hands  are  brown,  hcreyts  are  grey, 
And  trim  her  nautical  array — 
Alas!  she  sw.fily  sculls  away 

And  leaves  thi  '  Swan'  at  Streatley." 


from  the  Hill. 


downs,  which  are  a  continuation  ofthe  Chil- 
tern  system,  the  Thames  having  cloven  his 
way  between  When  we  reach  the  top,  the 
country  towards  Wailingford  is  laid  out  like  a 
map  before  us.  The  twin  villages  are  in  the 
foreground,  with  the  pretty  bridge,  and  the 
mills,  and  the  weir,  with  corn-fields  and  woods 
spread  about  them,  and  the  Thames  threading 
"his  silver  winding  way"  through  the  great 
country  beyond.  In  clear  weather,  the  pro- 
spect is  superb,  and  village  after  village,  corn- 
field after  cornfield,  and  thicket  af  ler  thicket, 
can  be  discerned,  while  purple  hills  rise  far  off 
in  the  gathering  haze.  Nothing  can  surpass 
the  beauty  of  the  scene  when  the  fields  are 


202 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


yellowing  for  the  harvest,  and  the  settino;  sun 
looks  through  his  purple  bars  as  he  sinks  in 
the  golden  west.  But  this  is  .lotall.  Looking 
down  the  river,  again,  beyond  the  cottages, 
barns  and  hayricks  of  the  village,  we  see  the 
river  \,-inding  below  the  woods  in  the  great 
curve  towards  Basildon,  beneath  the  red  brick 
bridge  of  Brunei.  In  short,  whether  we  turn 
to  the  woods  behind  us,  or  to  the  great  pro- 
spects spread  out  before,  we  find  surpassing 
charms  in  Streatley  Hill. 

The  hills  behind  are,  indeed,  full  of  history. 
They  have  been  the  marching-ground  and 
battle-ground  of  Saxons  and  Danes.  There  is, 
perhaps,  no  absolute  certainty  as  to  locality, 
but  when  the  West  Saxons  turned  fiercely  at 
bay,  and  confronted  the  Danes,  who  were 
striking  mercilessly  from  the  base  they  had 
established  at  Reading,  they  met  them  upon 
these  neighbouring  heights.  Asser,  in  his  life 
of  Alfred,  gives  a  long  account  of  the  great 
battle  of  /Cscesdun.  The  foemen  battled 
fiercely,  Alfred  charging  "like  a  wild  boar" 
up  the  slope,  and  the  conflict  raged  round  a 
stunted  thorn,  where  the  Danish  leaders  fell. 
"  i  have  seen  it  with  my  own  eyes,"  exclaims 
Asser.  The  hosts  of  Guthrum  were  driven 
back  with  great  loss,  from  the  hills.  But  the 
Danish  stronghold  between  the  Thames  and 
ihe  Kennet,  to  which  allusion  has  been  made, 
proved  impregnable,  and  overwhelming  forces 


push'ng  up  the  river,  left  Alfred  almost  power- 
less before  them.  A  series  of  defeats  followed, 
and  drove  liim  to  procure  the  withdrawal  of 
the  Danes  by  purchase,  thus  gaining  a  breath- 
ing space  to  mature  his  decisive  plans. 

It  is  a  very  pleasant  thing  to  climb  the  hill 
from  Streatley,  and  taking  the  road  on  the  right, 
to  leave  Thurle  and  Moulsford  Downs  on  the  left 
hand,  and  walk  to  the  point  known  as  the  King's 
Standing  Hill,  where  Alfred,  it  is  surmised, 
may  have  had  his  camp.  Hence,  along  the  ridge 
of  the  Downs,  there  is  a  broad  grassy  way 
over  the  height  towards  Lowbury  Hill,  upon 
which  the  Danes,  perhaps,  took  their  stand. 
There  is  a  sense  of  glorious  treedom  upon  these 
breezy  hills,  and  health  is  in  their  invigorating 
air,  and  it  is  delightful,  after  a  ramble  upon 
them,  to  turn  once  more  to  quaint  old  Streatley, 
and  to  the  wooded  way  of  the  Thames. 

We  are  about  to  issue,  in  this  upward  jour- 
neying, from  the  gorge  which  the  Thames  has 
cloven  between  the  Chilterns  and  the  Berkshire 
Downs.  It  is  well  to  remember  that  many 
of  the  charms  we  have  discovered  in  this  part 
of  the  Thames  Valley  are  due  to  the  close 
embrace  of  the  chalk  hills,  whose  scarps  peep 
out  here  and  there  along  the  banks.  That  wide 
prospect  northward  from  Streatley  Hill,  gave 
indication  of  the  new  character  of  river  scenery 
which  weshall  presently  meet.  It  is  a  country  of 
open  pastures  and  dist.uit  hills  that  lie  beyond. 


-.:||PI|JII|P|I||I|I|||I      , 


Streatley  Mi!l, 


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"-•iil^gf^^m-Sfai  'j^fj^irtv-ws  ^mt'^^tsmrac^gisissf: 


™_ 


T?tolo.,  Taunt, 


Goring  Church,  fro-Ti  the  Island. 


Ox/ari. 


ORING  is  a  less  picturesque  place 
than  Slreatley,  though  all  through 
the  summer  hosts  of  oarsmen 
•  and  anglers  give  testimony  of  its 
attractions,  it  has  a  salubrious  site, 
at  the  end  of  the  Chiltern  range, 
■and  the  facilities  offered  by  the  railway  have 
made  it  a  favourite  place  for  country  residents. 
That  villas  have  sprung  up  to  the  displacement 
of  much  that  was  rustic  we  cannot  therefore 
be  astonislied;  but  those  who  resort  to  Goring 
are  apt  to  say  that  it  is  a  pleasant  place  to 
dwell  in.  Tnere  is  deligiitful  old  Streatley 
clustering  up  the  opposite  hill,  with  its  charm- 
ing mill,  and  the  pretty  bridge  spanning  the 
river  between,  while  in  Goring  itself  there  is 
the  church  to  bespeak  its  antiquity,  and  charm 
the  artist,  and  an  old  hostel  to  welcome  us ; 
while  Ferry  Lane  retains  its  rusticity,  and 
behind  spreads  a  lovely  country  of  wood  and 
meadow,  hill  and  hollow.  Verdant  meadows 
line  the  bank  of  the  river,  from  which  the  hills 
recede,  and  an  aspect  of  general  richness  and 
fertility  pervades  the  place. 

The  church  is  a  remarkable  structure.  It 
-was  originally  a  cruciform  edifice,  erected 
between  1090  and  iioo,  but  the  tower  alone 
remains  of  that  early  church,  resting  upon  four 
piers,  with  embattlements  of  a  later  date,  and 
an  external  newel,  which  is  extremely  pictur- 
-esque.  An  Augustinian  convent  was  founded 
at  Goring  in  the  time  of  Henry  11.,  and  then, 
save  the  tower,  the  whole  of  the  older  church 
-was  removed,   and  a   large  conventual  choir 


took  its  place.  The  tower  was  thus  brought 
to  the  west  end  of  the  structure  as  we  now  see 
it,  and,  some  existing  vestiges  of  the  nunnery 
may  be  found  in  the  south  wall  of  the  church. 
The  north  aisle  was  added  about  the  year  1200, 
the  arcade  being  formed  by  piercing  the 
Norman  wall,  and  the  church  appears  to  have 
been  remodelled  about  the  year  1300.  It  is 
dedicated  to  St.  Thomas  a  Becket,  shortly  after 
whose  time  it  rose,  and  it  contains  some  highly 
interesting  examples  of  Norman  and  Early 
English  Architecture.  The  chancel  windows 
are  modern,  but  good,  and  the  low,  broad 
character  of  the  church,  and  the  trees  grouped 
about  it,  give  it  a  most  picturesque  character. 
The  bells  of  Goring  are  very  celebrated.  One 
bears  the  inscription  "This  bell  was  made 
1626,"  and  another  "Love  God,  1630,"  but 
the  third  would  appear  to  have  sounded  through 
the  Thames  Valley  for  nearly  6oD  years.  It 
bears  two  Lombardic  lines,  "Orate  pro  Petro 
Exoniensi  episcopo  "  and  "  Ricard  de  VVymbis 
me  fecit."  The  bishop  thus  prayed  for  was 
named  Wyvill,  and  died  in  1292.  Why  he 
should  have  been  commemorated  at  Goring  we 
do  not  precisely  know,  but  it  is  surmised  that 
Edmund  Plantagenet,  7th  Earl  of  Cornwall, 
who  was  his  friend,  and  had  possessions  near 
Wallingford,  may  have  presented  the  com- 
memorative bell  to  the  church.  Two  other 
bells  are  curious  also,  datmg  from  about  1 503, 
and  1624. 

liT  old  times  the  main  street  led  to  the  ferry, 
before  the  bridge  was  built  in  1837.     It  is  still 


2lS 


THE    THAMES    ILEllSTRAl ED. 


Goring  Lock,  from  above. 


known  as  Ferry  Lane,  and  is  charmingly  pictur- 
esque. Shops  iiave  now  sprung  up  between 
the  railway  and  the  bridge,  but  the  old  "Miller 
of  Mansfield"  is  there,  a  famous  sign  in  this 
part  of  the  Thames  valley,  where  the  miller 
may  be  seen  on  one  side  of  the  board  enter- 
taining Henry  II.,  who  sits  on  a  three-legged 
stool  with  his  drinking  horn,  while  on  the  other 
side  of  the  table  is  the  miller  exclaiming,  "  Here, 
good  fellow,  1  drink  to  thee."  From  Goring 
village  we  return  to  the  long  wooden  bridge 
witn  a  charming  picture  of  Streatley  beyond 
it,  the  church,  and  mill  pool,  the  lock  and  weir, 


Phott.t  7'aunt, 


Ferry  Lane,  Goring. 


and  the  old  "Swan"  across  the  bridge.  There 
is  excellent  fishing  hereabout,  and  the  angler 
may  iiave  his  choice,  for  perch,  pike,  dace, 
roach,  gudgeon  and  eels  are  generally  plentiful. 
The  river  is  extremely  pretty  for  a  short 
distance  above  the  bridge,  and  to  Cleeve  Lock. 
The  trees  grow  finely  and  overshadow  the  long 
backwater,  and  the  surroundings  of  the  lock 
are  very  pretty.  The  mill  is  delightfully 
picturesque,  and  often  painted  by  artists. 

But  we  now  enter  upon  one  of  those  districts 
of  the  Thames  which  have  more  placid  and 
simple  charm,  where  the  hills  are  far  off  on 
either  side,  for  we  have  left 
the  Chilterns  and  the  Downs 
behind,  and  long  stretches  of 
level  meadows  line  the  banks. 
This  character  of  country 
extends  more  or  less,  though 
with  greater  woodland  beauties 
as  we  proceed,  to  Walling- 
ford.  It  is  a  grand  boating 
reach,  upon  which  the  trial 
eights  of  the  Oxford  University 
Boat  Club  are  rowed.  There 
is  no  better  course  upon  the 
river,  and,  in  August,  at  the 
time  of  the  Goring  and  Streatley 
Regatta,  the  banks  assume  an 
air  of  unwonted  gaiety,  for  the 
festival  has  a  popularity,  not 
indeed  like  that  of  Henley,  but 
yet  considerable  amongst  the 
practised  oarsmen  of  the  river, 
and  in  the  evening  there  is  a 


Ox/erd. 


ABOVE    GORING. 


2ig 


veritable  fair  upon  tlie  banks,  with  fire\vorl<s 
to  close  the  festivities. 

The  distance  between  Cleeve  Lock  and 
Wallinj^ford  is  nearly  six  miles,  and  tliere  are 
some  who  find  the  passage  monotonous  and 
uninteresting.  Yet,  where  there  are  broad 
waters,  green  meadows,  yellow  cornfields, 
picturesque  villages  and  farmsteads,  banks  of 
osiers,  groups  of  trees,  and  a  great  over-arching 
sky,  no  place  can  be  devoid  of  beauty.  These 
are  the  characteristics  of  the  Thames,  when 
we  have  passed  the  wooded  beauties  of  Streatley 
and  Goring,  until  we  approach  Walling^ord 
Bridge.  At  Moulsford,  the  tow-path  crosses 
from  the  Berkshire  to  the  Oxfordshire  bank, 
and  every  angler  and  oarsman  upon  the  Upper 


go  northward,  is  about  a  mile.  They  are 
,  villages  quite  unspoiled,  places  with  little  old- 
fashioned  cottages,  and  the  huge  barns  which 
are  such  a  well-known  feature  of  the  villages 
in  Oxfordshire  and  Berkshire  •,  and  you  meet 
in  them  the  farmer-men  in  their  smocks,  and 
their  brown-faced  womenkind,  wearing  the 
great  picturesque  sun-bonnets  of  the  peasantry. 
Such  people  group  charmingly  with  their  rustic 
surroundings,  and  perhaps  it  may  be  said  that 
hereabout— except  to  the  oarsman — the  shore 
is  more  attractive  than  the  water. 

Once  again,  at  Little  Stoke,  the  tow-path 
crosses  to  the  Berkshire  side,  at  a  pretty  ferry. 
The  huge  building  of  the  County  Lunatic 
Asylum,  to  which  the  ferry  would  bring  us,  is 


Wj^SSS^HIIk 

^^^^^^^fc^^B^BBifci^'^^  .. >t!u..              ^ 

^     ^1 

^^H 

^^^^HC^Da^^^^^^^^^^^^^l^l^^^^^lk*  ^^fld^^^l 

HHH 

^^M 

H 

■  '^''  1 

It.    ^KS 

^^^B 

^T^  ^     '•affW 

f,-ir|H 

^^H 

^^^^^^^^^^^^E                                                 -^^^^^^^^^1 

IB 

Pholo.,  Taunt, 


Cleeve  Mill,  from  below. 


Oxford, 


Thames  knows  the  charmingly  rural  village, 
with  the  quaint  old  "  Beetle  and  Wedge  "  upon 
the  bank.  The  beetle,  it  may  be  observed,  is 
not  the  insect  so  named,  but  the  heavy  wooden 
mallet  which  drives  in  wedges  for  the  cleaving 
of  timber.  There  is  an  air  of  quite  delightful 
rusticity  about  Moulsford,  and  it  is  extremely 
pleasant  to  stroll  from  the  hostel,  or  from  the 
lerry-boat  at  the  bank,  to  the  quaint  little  14th 
century  church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  which 
closely  neighbours  the  stream. 

At  the  other  side  of  the  river  is  South  Stoke, 
one  of  three  sister  villages  which  are  upon  the 
Oxfordshire  shore,  the  others  being  Little 
Stoke  and  North  Stoke,  all  upon  the  roud  from 
Reading.     The  interval  between  each,  as  we 


no  adornment  to  the  scene.  The  railway  from 
Reading  to  Swindon  and  Oxford  has  already- 
crossed  to  the  Berkshire  side.  Above  it  the  river 
is  somewhat  unattractive,  as  we  must  admit, 
until  the  stately  trees  that  surround  Mongewell 
House  rise  on  the  right,  and  add  a  good  deal  to 
the  beauty  of  the  shore.  There  was  formerly 
a  weir  and  lock  near  this  point,  but  the  weir 
was  washed  away  in  i83i,  and  the  whole 
removed  two  years  la:er. 

But  we  now  reach  old  Wallingford,  a  place 
where  many  pause  who  traverse  the  Thames, 
and  a  pleasant  town  to  sojourn  in.  There  is 
good  and  solid  character  in  its  stone  bridge,  in 
which  some  very  old  parts  still  remain,  but  the 
structure  must  have  been  more  picturesque  in 


22D 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


Pho'o..  Taunt. 


The  "Leather  Bottd,"  Cleeve. 


former  days,  when  it  had  a  chapel  upon  it,  and 
a  gatehouse  at  each  end,  and  when  it  was 
something  in  the  nature  of  a  lock  and  a  weir, 
with  sluices  and  winces.  The  very  curiois 
spire  of  the  church,  which  is  said  to  have  been 
designed  by  Mr.  Justice  Blackstone,  who 
resided  at  Wallingford,  is  not  without  a  certain 
charm  in  its  very  oddity,  and  it  is  pleasant  to 
walk  up  the  quiet  street  of  the  old  town  to  the 
Market  Place,  where  is  the  Corn  Exchange, 
with  the  Town  Hall,  resting  upon  a  row  of 
pillars,  in  the  manner  of  the  olden  time.  It  is 
refreshing,  too,  to  turn  in  under  the  archway 


PhMc,  Tamil 


An  old  Berkshire  Barn. 


of  the  "  Lamb,"  the  old  hostelry  of  the  place. 
This  wasformerly  known  as  the  "Bell,"  and  the 
three  pretty  daughters  of  its  landlord,  in  the 
first  half  of  the  last  century,  as  the  belles  of 
Wallingford.  Their  charms  attracted  the 
admiration  of  wealthy  gentlemen,  for  one 
married  William,  Viscount  Courtenay,  the 
second,  Sir  John  Honeywood,  baronet,  and  the 
third  another  person  of  title. 

Wallingford  stands  upon  the  site  of  a  Roman 
town,  if  not  of  a  British  camp,  and  extensive 
remains  of  early  fortifications  may  still  be 
traced  there.  The  Danes  destroyed  the  place 
in  1006,  and  Sweyn  was  torn 
therein  loi 3.  So  important  was 
the  place  at  the  time  of  the 
Norman  Conquest  that  William 
marched  thither  before  occupy- 
ing London,  to  receive  the  sub- 
mission of  Wiggod,  the  West 
Saxon  Thane;  and  he  crossed  at 
Wallingford  to  Hertfordshire, 
tlireateningto  cut  off  Edwin  and 
Morkere  from  their  earldoms. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  castle 
was  strengthened,  and  the 
Empress  Matilda  took  shelter 
there,  but  it  is  now  little  more 
than  a  crumbling  ruin  above  the 
bridge.  It  was  at  Wallingford 
that  a  treaty  was  signed  that 
put  an  end  to  the  anarchy  of 
Stephen's  reign.  At  one  time 
the  town  possessed  not  less  than 
fourteen  churches,  but  of  these. 


WALLINGFORD. 


221 


three  now  only  remain.  ISt.  Mary's  is  in 
the  Market  Place,  and  is  worth  a  visit.  St. 
Leanard's,  at  the  end  of  Thames  Street,  is 
the  handsomest  of  the  three,  and  contains 
some  good  examples  of  Norman  work.  Justice 
Blackstone,  author  of  the  famous  Commen- 
taries, who,  in  the  words  of  Bentham,  was  the 
first  of  all  institutional  writers  to  teach  juris- 
prudence to  speak  the  language  of  the  scholar 
and  the, gentleman,  is  buried  in  St.  Peter's 
Church,  by  the  bridge — the  building  with  the 
very  curious  spire.  The  town  suffered  much 
from  Fairfax  in  the  Civil  Wars. 

We  saw  at  Eton  how  unfortunate  Tusser, 
the  author  of  "  Five  Hundred  Points  of  Good 


mdeed,  to  linger,  and  may  well  delight  in  the 
neighbouring  rustic  old  village  of  Crowmarsh, 
on  tiie  Oxfordsiiire  side,  which  is  the  prettiest 
place  imaginable.  There  is  a  very  ancient 
church  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene  there,-  built 
about  the  time  of  Stephen,  who  had  a  castle  in 
the  place.  They  can  still  show  the  door,  with 
bullet  marks,  impressed,  as  is  said,  in  the  Civil 
Wars,  when  Fairfax  laid  siege  to  Wallingford 
Castle,  though  it  was  long  before  he  reduced 
it  to  surrender  and  to  ruin.  Crowmarsh  is  as 
picturesque  as  any  village  hereabout,  and  its 
various  scenes  lend  themselves  admirably  to 
pictorial  effects. 

We  presently  reach  Bensington  weir,  lock. 


Thoto.^  Taunts 


Moukford  from  the  River. 


Husbandry,"  suffered  under  the  scourging  of 
Nicholas  Udall.  He  app.^ars  to  have  been  not 
less  unfortunate  at  Wallingford,  for  he  thus 
speaks  of  the  days  he  spent  at  school  there — 

"  O,  painful  time,  for  every  crime  ; 
What  toosed  eares  !     Like  baited  beares  ! 
What  bobhe  1  lips  !     What  yerks,  what  nips ! 

Wnat  hellish  toies ! 
What  robes  how  bare !     What  colled^e  fire  ! 
What  bred,  how  stale  !     What  pennie  ale  ! 
Then  Wallingford,  thou  wert  abhorred 

Of  sillie  boies  !  " 

Evidently,  he  left  Wallingford  with  no  very 
pleasant  impressions  of  the  town,  but  that  is 
not  the  case  with  the  oarsman  who  is  pulling 
upward  towards  Abingdon.     He   is   tempted, 


and  ferry,  and  the  little  village  lying  upon  the 
Oxfordshire  side.  The  weir  is  fine,  but  the 
mill  a  little  spoiled  by  the  somewhat  too  con- 
spicuous addition  of  steam  power.  Bensington, 
or,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  Benson,  was 
formerly  a  place  of  considerable  importance, 
and  has  yet  a  church  of  St.  Helen  which  em- 
bodies features  of  antiquity.  But,  with  the 
decline  of  the  coaching  days,  Bensington  lost 
its  importance,  and  seems  to  be  left  a  little 
high  and  dry  by  the  tide  of  humanity.  The 
district  round  it  was  the  battle-ground  of 
Mercia  and  Wessex,  for  the  occupation  of  the 
the  place  gave  to  either  party  a  strong  position 
upon  the  course  of  the  river.     When  Offa,  in 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


«B<M|Ml4kWtM»T.   $ 


Hio:i>.,  y.  S.  Cal/ord. 


WalLngford  B.idge. 


Ha  »it>loti   IVick- 


his  attempt  to  restore  the  Mercian  power,  had 
won  back  Kent  by  the  victory  of  Otford,  he 
turned  upon  the  West  Saxons,  and  marched 
upon  the  fragments  of  their  kingdom  in  the 
district  of  tlie  Four  Towns  north  of  the  Tiiames, 
in  what  is  now  Oxford  and  Buckingiiam.  Tlie 
forces  met  at  Bensington,  and,  after  a  furious 
conflict,  Offa  remained  master  of  the  place,  but 
his  strengtli  had  been  exhausted  in  the  struggle, 
and  he  was  driven  to  attempt  conquests  in 
Wales,  and  from  that  day  the  final  decline 
of  Mercia  began. 


Fhoto.,  Taiml, 


Wallingford  Castle,  South  Tower. 


At  tills  point,  the  sweet  little  Ewelme  brook 
flows  into  the  Thames  on  the  Oxfordshire  side, 
and  you  may  walk  along  the  wooded  banks,  a 
shady  way  by  picturesque  cottages,  a  distance 
of  about  two  miles,  to  tlie  delightful  old  village 
of  Ewelme.     The  country  around  is  flat  and 
rather  bare,  and  it  is  quite  a  surprise  to  come 
upon  the  wooded  hollow.    Through  the  cloisters 
of  the  old  hospital,  w.th  their  high  brick  and 
timber  walls,  red  roofs,  and  their  water  well, 
you  ascend  to  the  door  of  the  very  remarkable 
Perpendicular  church.  The  hospital  was  founded 
by   the  Duke  and  Duchess   of 
■    Suffolk  and  richly  endowed,  and 
the  south  chapel  and  South  aisle 
of  the  church  are  set  apart  for 
its  alms-men.  The  church  itself, 
is    dedicated    to    the     Blessed 
Virgin,  but  this  south  chapel  to 
St.   John  the    Baptist.      There 
are  many  very  fine  memorial 
brasses  in  the  edifice.    Between 
the  chapel  and  the   chancel  is 
the   alabaster   tomb    of    Alice, 
Duchess  of  Suffolk,  widow  of 
the  unfortunate  duke,  who  was 
beheaded    on     the     beach    at 
Dover  in  the  time  of  Henry  VI. 
The     chapel     is     exceedingly 
beautiful,   and   this  monument 
its    most    interesting    feature. 
Small   figures   of   angels  stand 
round  the  tomb  beneath  cano- 
pies most  richly  worked.bearing 


Ox/ord. 


EWELME. 


223 


J'hoto.,  Taunt, 


Crowmarsh  Village. 


Oxfo  li. 


shields,  and  the  effigiy  of  the  duchess  is  under 
a  great  canopy,  with  most  beautiful  adorn- 
ments. Angels  in  the  attitude  of  prayer  sup- 
port a  cornice,  elaborately  carved  with  quatre- 
foils  and  cresting,  white  slender  shafts  rise 
above,  surmounted  by  figures  of  standing 
angels.  Beneath  the  monument  of  the  duchess, 
and  behind  rich  perforated  tracery,  reminding 
us  by  ragged  realism,  which  is  wanting  from 
the  effigy  above,  lies  one  of  those  grue- 
some, half  skeletonised  shapes,  of  which 
examples  are  in  York  Minster,  and  the  church 
of  Arundel,  in  Sussex.  The 
monument  of  the  duchess's 
father,  Thomas  Chaucer,  and 
his  wife,  is  on  the  north  side. 
The  memorial  takes  the  form 
of  an  exquisite  brass,  in  which 
the  dead  man  is  represented  in 
complete  armour,  standing  upon 
a  unicorn,  while  she  has  a  lion 
at  her  feet.  The  brass  is  borne 
upon  a  low  tomb  beneath  the 
arch  westward  of  the  monu- 
ment of  the  Duchess  of  Suffolk. 
This  tomb  is  panelled,  and  with- 
in each  arch  of  the  panelling 
there  are  two  shields  of  arms. 
Chaucer,  the  poet,  whose  son 
married  Maud  Burghersh, 
heiress  of  the  manor,  was 
doubtless  nostranger  to  Ewelme, 
and  we  may  fancy  that  often 
here,  in  the  good  green  wood, 


as  he  walked,  he  heard  the  wild  birds  sing. 
There  is  no  more  interesting  church  by  the 
Thames  than  that  of  Ewelme,  which  is  par- 
ticularly remarkable  for  its  monuments,  all 
maintained  in  an  excellent  state  of  preserva- 
tion. When  Edmund,  Earl  of  Suffolk,  was 
attainted  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  the  place 
came;  to  the  Crown,  and  was  a  royal  residence 
of  the  Tudors.  There  is  still  a  lane  in  the 
village  known  as  "  Queen  Elizabeth's  Walk." 
James  1.  endowed  the  Regius  Professorship 
of  Divinity  at  Oxford  with  the  rectorial  tithes 


Photo.,  Taunt, 


Bensington  Weir. 


Oxjord, 


J24 


THE    THAMES   HLUSTRATED. 


of  Ewelme  ;  but,  in  iS/i.by  Actof  Parliament, 
with  the  intention  of  doing  away  with  absentee- 
ism, the  professorship  and  rectory  were 
severed. 

About  a  mile  from  Bensington  Ferry  we  come 
to  Shillingford  Bridge,  which  is  a  fine  stone 
structure  of  many  arches,  in  a  stril<ing  situa- 
tion, with  high  banl<s  rising  on  the  left,  and 
the  curious  height  of  Sinodun  Hill,  with  its 
well-known  clump  of  trees,  a  conspicuous  object. 

The.  hill  is  a  great  landmark  throughout  this 
part  of  the  Thames,  and  we  do  not  lose  sight 
of  it  for  many  miles.  The  little  "Swan"  Inn 
at  Shillingford,  which,  itself  is  an  insignificant 
village,  is  well  above  the  river  on  the  Berkshire 
side,  and  there  is  a  remarkable  view  of  the 


jack,  perch,  and  chub,  and  just  above  Shilling- 
ford is  a  big  hole  noted  for  its  barbel,  while  all 
along  the  reaches  the  reedy  flams  give  capital 
shelter  to  the  angler,  just  wh^re  the  fishes  are 
most  plentiful. 

But  we  now  reach  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Thame,  which  has  risen  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Chilterns,  and  flowed  through  the  vale  of 
Aylesbury,  to  pass  by  the  ancient  tower  of 
Dorchester,  and  to  wed  the  silver  Isis,  as  some 
will  still  fancifully  designate  the  higher  Thames. 
This  is  a  confluence  of  waters  that  has  become 
celebrated  in  literature.  There  is  a  pleasant 
conceit  of  Warton,  who  tells  us  that — 

'  Beauteous  Isis,  and  her  husband  Thame, 
Wiih  mingled  waves  for  ever  flow  the  same." 


Shillingford  Bridge. 


river,  the  bridge,  and  the  level  country  beyond, 
from  its  door.  Near  to  Sh  llingford,  and  some- 
what inland,  is  the  pretty  village  of  War- 
borough,  which  is  worth  a  visit.  Once  more, 
at  Shillingford  Ferry — nearly  a  mile  above  the 
bridge — the  tow-path,  which  has  been  cross  ng 
from  side  to  side  all  the  way  from  Streatley, 
passes  over  to  the  Oxfordshire  bank,  upon 
which  it  continues  past  the  mouth  of  the 
Thame  to  Day's  Lock. 

On  the  right,  as  we  go  forward,  there  is  a 
broad  space  of  swampy  ground,  covered  mostly 
with  reeds,  and  having  an  aspect  of  great 
wildness,  with  Sinodun  Hill  on  the  other  side, 
and  there  is  considerable  picturesqueness 
when  clumps  of  trees  and  tall  poplars  break 
the  view.     The  fishing  here  is  very  good  for 


Drayton  repented  the  idea,  and  Spenser  speaks 
of  the  wedding,  which,  out  of  the  names  of 
Thame  and  Isis,  is  supposed  to  give  us  tlie 
name  of  Tames;s,  and  so  of  Thames. 

"  The  lovely  bridegroom  came, 
The  noble  Thamis,  with  all  his  goodly  traine. 
And  before  him  there  went,  as  best  became 

Hisauncient  parents,  namely,  theauncient  Than-.e;: 
But  much  more  aged  was  his  wile  than  he, 

The  Ouze,  whom  men  doe  Isis  rightly  name ; 
Full  weak  and  crooked  creature  seemed  shee, 
And  almost  blind  through  eld,  that  scarce  her  way 
could  see." 

So  does  he  speak  of  the  reedy  course  of  tli? 
Thames,  though  it  is  now  less  hidden  than  in 
Spenser's  day.  But  he  writes  in  extravagant 
terms  of  the  Thame,  which,  sooth  to  say, 
pours   his   water,   in   a   pitiably   insignificant 


DORCHESTER. 


225 


fashion,  after  winding  sluggishly 
across  from  Dorchester,  under  a 
narrow  towpatli  bridge  into  tiie 
broader  stream  of  the  Tiiames. 
Rows  of  pollard  willows  mark 
the  course  of  the  meek  little 
river,  half  a  mile  beyond  which, 
and  just  before  we  reach  Day's 
Lock,  there  are  two  little  islands, 
with  bridges  connecting  them 
with  both  shores,  which  carry 
the  road  from  Long  Wittenham 
and  Little  Wittenham  to  Dor- 
chester. Of  these  places,  as  of 
Sinodun  Hill  and  the  district 
surrounding  Day's  Lock,  we 
shall  yet  have  something  to  say, 
but,  for  the  present,  we  shall  be 
content  to  traverse  the  tevel 
country  to  ancient  Dorchester. 
'1  he  long  length  of  the  Abbey 
Church  has  for  some  time 
been  conspicuous  as  we  pulled 
lying  away  there  beyond  the 
'1  hame  is  not  at  all  a  good 
and    \herefore    it    is    better 


Photo,  Taunt, 


up  the  river, 

flats.      The 

boating   stream, 

to    go    by    the 


road  to  the  old  town,  which  is  about  a 
mile  Irom  the  bank.  On  the  way,  we  pass 
the  remains  of  Roman  entrenchments,  called 
the  Dyke  Hills,  which  evidently  form.ed  partof  a 
great  camp,  in  just  such  a  position  as  the 
Romans  were  accustomed  to  choose,  within 
the  fork  of  two  rivers.  Dorchester  was  a 
bishopric  in  Saxon  times,  and  the  names  of 
many  holders  of  the  See  are  preserved.  Bede 
tells  us  that,  when  Birinus  was  sent  by  Pope 
Honorius  to  preach  the  Gospel,  in  the  reign  of 
Cynegils,  he  converted  the  Gewissas.  His 
preacning  seems  to  have  been  mainly  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Dorchester,  for  the  King 
himself,  having  embraced  the  faith  of  Christ, 


^'noto,^  Taunt. 


Ewelme  Church  and  Monuments. 


Ewelme  Almshouse-,  ani  Ciurcli.  "'""''■ 

was  received,  as  he  came  forth  from  baptism, 
by  King  Oswald  of  Northumbria,  who  was 
present,  and  afterwards  mirried  his  daughter; 
and  then  the  two  kings  gave  to  the  bishop  the 
city  called  Dorcic,  where  he  might  there  estab- 
lish his  See.  At  Dorchester  he  was  buried,  but 
his  remains  were  afterwards  translated  to  Win- 
chester, where  his  baptism  of  Cynegils  may 
still  be  seen  represented  upon  a  font  in  the 
Cathedral.  The  ecclesiastical  importance  of 
Dorchester  afterwards  somewhat  waned,  but 
not  until  its  church  had  been  invested  with 
fine  and  imposing  character.  Many  hands 
have  worked  upon  it,  and  it  is  a  somewhat 
composite  structure,  representing  almost  every 
period  from  Saxon  to  Tudor  times,  and  it  was 
well  restored,  though  not  completely,  by 
Sir  Gilbert  Scott. 

As  we  approach  the  south  porch,  which  is  a 

fine   stone   structure,    with    a 

tmibered  roof,  we  see  the  shaft 
of  an  ancient  cross  on  the 
left,  of  which  the  head  has 
been  restored.  The  nave  of  the 
church  is  finely  proportioned, 
\v!th  arches  rising  from  beauti- 
ful clustered  columns,  and  the 
east  windOiV  is  of  unusual 
character.  The  chapel  on  the 
south  side  has  curious  features 
in  carvirigs  round  the  pillars, 
and  the  south  aisle,  with  a  fine 
groined  roof,  aid  the  Lady 
(chapel,  are  extremely  beau- 
tiful. Four  recumbent  efiigies 
remain  in  the  Lady  Chapel,  of 
which  one  represents  a  cross- 
legged  knight,  another,  pro- 
bably, a  member  of  the  Segrave 
family,  both  very  remarkable. 
Other  curious  monuments   are 


226 


THE    THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


ffio^o..  Taunt, 


Dorchester  Church,  with  the  Jesse  Window. 


in  the  church,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  great  regret 
that  many  fine  brasses  have  been  destroyed. 
The  lover  of  these,  who  comes  from  the  cliurch 
of  Ewelme  to  Dorchester,  will  be  pained  to  wit- 
ness the  work  of  the  spoiler.  But  the  most 
remarkable  feature  in  tlie  whole  church  is  the 
Jesse  Window,  in  the  north  aisle  of  the 
chancel,  which  is  one  of  the  very  few  win- 
dows of  that  class  remaining.  It  represents, 
in  its  stone  work,  as  well  as  in  the  i'lass 
that  fills  its  lights,  a  tree  of  Jesse,  spring- 
ing from  the  body  of  Jesse  himself,  and 
With   stone   effigies   of  the   members   of    the 


royal  house  of  David,  though 
the  crowning  figure  of  Our 
Lord ,-  himself  has  been  de- 
stroyed. This  very  remarkable 
window  dates  from  the  14th 
century.  The  font  is  another 
interesting  feature  in  the 
cliurch,  its  leaden  bowl  being 
surrounded  by  seated  figures 
of  the  Apostles  under  round 
arches. 

It  was  out  of  the  See  at 
Dorchester  that  that  of  Lincoln 
arose,  in  the  year  1086.  The 
Abbey  of  Black  Canons  was 
founded  by  Alexander,  Bishop 
if  Lincoln,  in  1140.  Its  history 
\\as  that  of  other  abbeys.  It  was 
suppressed,  and  its  possessions 
were  squandered,  but  Richard 
Bewforest  bought  the  ^ abbey 
church,  which  is  so  noble  a  fea- 
ture of  the  place,  for  the  sum  of  £140,  and 
presented  it  to  the  parish.  The  remains  of 
the  abbey  are  very  few,  but,  in  the  buildings 
of  the  old  Grammar  School,  which  has  been 
converted  into  a  iNational  School,  some  rude 
fragments  of  masonry  appear  to  be  part  of  the 
ancient  gateway. 

Dorchester  seems  to  be  remote  from  the 
world,  but,  take  it  for  all  in  all,  with  the  pretty 
cottages  of  the  sleepy  village,  and  the  magni- 
ficent church  overshadowing  them,  it  may 
certainly  be  ranked  among  the  most  interesting 
places  by  the  Thames. 


Oxfi 


HCiii..  J  aun  , 


Dorchester  Church  and  the  River  Thame. 


Ox/^fd 


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Day's  Lock,  from  the  Hill. 


jETWEEN  Day's  Lock  and  Abingdon 
we  traverse,  in  our  upward  journey- 
ing, a  series  of  very  remarkable 
curves  in  tiie  river,  which  relieve 
the  valley  from  all  monotony,  and, 
with  the  rustic  villages  that  grace 
the  banks,  the  quiet  backwaters  and  old  mills, 
we  find  a  good  deal  that  is  both  picturesque 
and  interesting.  For  the  boatmen  there  are 
pleasant  reaches,  for  the  angler  quiet  resorts, 
for  the  artist  many  admirable  effects,  for  the 
historian  venerable  churches,  scenes  of  vivid 
interest,  and  evidences  of  ancient  occupation, 
while  the  geologist  may  trace  the  various 
evidences  of  the  Kimmerdge  clay  and  the 
greensands,  and  observe  the  unfamiliar  sand- 
stone bed  of  the  river  near  Clifton  Lock,  which 
makes  navigation  difficult  at  times  of  low  water, 
and  is  not  dear  to  the  punter.  ■ 

There  is  first  a  great  horse-shoe  curve  from 
Day's  Lock  by  Clifton  Hampden,  skirting  the 
gentle  slopes  of  the  Wittenham  Hills  to  Long 
Wittenham,  the  distance  across  the  base  being 
about  a  mile  and  a-half,  but  more  than  double 
by  the  river.  We  next  come  to  a  very  sharp 
angle  in  the  stream,  which  the  navigation 
water  avoids,  and  go  westward  for  some  three 
miles  more,  then  turning  northward  to  Abing- 
don.: Afterwards,  we  shall  find  that  the 
course  of  the  Thames  then  brings  us  eastward  to 
Nuneham,  which  is  less  than  a  mile  and  a-half 
from  Clifton  Hampden,  though  from  point  to 
point  the  sinuous  course  of  the  stream  involves 
for  the  boatman  more  than  eight  miles'  welcome 


pulling.  These  long  sweeps  ana  wmding 
reaches  of  the  river  add  \-astly  to  its  beauty 
and  interest,  giving  freshness  to  the  successive 
charms  disclosed  as  we  proceed ;  and  it  is 
worth  while  to  note  that  the  great  bend  from 
Chfton  to  Nuneham  is  more  considerable  than 
the  fine  sweep  from  Teddington  to  Hampton 
Court,  or  the  glorious  curve  from  Medmenham 
to  Henley. 

But  it  is  time  to  turn  to  the  various  interests 
of  Day's  Lock.  To  begin  with,  the  lock  itself, 
the  three  islands,  and  the  neighbouring  build- 
ings, combine  to  form  a  series  of  most  charming 
pictures,  which  are  familiar  to  visitors  to  the 
picture  galleries,  for  the  place  has  been  painted 
over  and  over  again,  and  is  almost  as  dear  to 
the  sketcher  as  the  pretty  scenes  at  Goring 
and  Streatley.  Here,  indeed,  the  country  is 
widely  different.  On  one  side  are  the  level 
stretches  towards  ancient  Dorchester,  which 
we  have  visited,  with  the  "Dyke  Hills" 
between,  while  on  the  other  rises  the  singular 
height  of  green  Sinodun  Hill,  with  Wittenham 
clumps  on  the  top.  Through  all  the  country 
round  the  slowly  rising  hill,  with  its  densely 
wooded  crest,  is  a  great  and  striking  object, 
and  a  very  characteristic  feature  of  the  land- 
scape. The  hill  usually  ascended  from  Day's 
Lock,  and  on  a  clear  day  it  is  well  worth  while 
to  make  the  climb,  to  survey  the  vast  pano- 
rama around,  and  to  examine  the  ancient 
evidences  of  fortification  on  the  top.  '*lt  was 
impossible  that  such  a  height,  rising  from  a 
level  country,  should  not  be  chosen  for  defensive 


242 


THE    THAMES    HLUSTRATED. 


rjwto..  Taunt, 


Sinodun  Hill,  from  Day's  Lock. 


Oxford, 


purposes  in  early  times.  Here  was  a  place 
whence  tlie  l<een  eyes  of  Britisii  outlooi<men 
could  sioht  danger  afar,  and  a  resort  to  which 
the  dwellers  below  might  flee.  There  can  be 
little  doubt  that  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  the 
country  established  themselves  upon  the  height, 
for  the  district  around  is  filled  with  evidences  of 
ancient  occupation  ;  though  whether  the  great 
wide  trenches  which  still  remain  upon  the  hill 
were  the  work  of  Britons  or  Romans,  is  not 
easy  to  say.  They  represent,  in  either  case, 
an  immense  labour  of  early  military  engineers. 


Plwta.,  Frith, 


The  Backwater,  Day's  Lock. 


From  the  top,  the  prospect  is  vast  and  im- 
posing, including  the  course  of  the  Thames 
towards  Wallingford  on  one  hand,  and  to 
Abingdon  on  the  other,  until  it  is  cut  off  by  the 
wooded  height  of  Nuneham,  and  an  immense 
panorama  of  Oxfordshire  and  Berkshire,  and 
many  a  county  beyond,  with  meadows  and 
cornfields,  villages  and  spires  innumerable,  and 
the  lofty  point  of  St.  Helen's,  at  Abingdon,  chief 
among  them.  On  a  fine  day,  with  clear 
vision,  and  the  shadows  of  clouds  sweep- 
ing across  the  landscape,  the  prospect  from 
Sinodun  Hill  is  really  superb. 
The  bridge  at  Day's  Lock, 
by  which  Sinodun  Hill  is 
reached,  leads  also  to  the  pretty 
village  of  Little  Wittenham.  It 
is  such  a  place  as  most  men  like 
to  journey  through,  consisting 
of  a  cluster  of  quaint  old  cottages 
with  thatched  roots,  and  roses 
clustering  about  their  windows. 
There  are  cornfields  spread 
about  it,  and  it  has  huge  barns 
such  as  are  characteristic  of 
Berkshire  farmsteads.  The 
church  of  St.  Peter  was  rebuilt 
in  1863,  in  the  Harly  English 
style.  The  new  structure  is 
good,  as  a  village  church,  and 
you  may  find  in  it  the  tomb 
of  Sir  William  Dunch,  and  his 
wife,  who  was  akin  to  Oliver 
Cromwell.  The  road  from 
""s"'-     Little  Wittenham  leads   across 


LITTLE    IVITTENHAM. 


Hi 


nuf..  y.  J. 


Liltle  Wittenham  Church. 


Hampton  fVu* 


the  neck  of  the  horse-shoe  curve  of  the 
river,  which  has  been  spoken  of,  to  the 
delightful  old  village  of  Long  Wittenham — 
so  called  because  it  stretches  along  the  road 
to  Sutton  Courtney.  But  Long  Wittenham  is 
adjacent  to  the  river  at  a  point  we  have 
not  yet  reached ;  and  so  let  us  go  with  the 
boatmen  round  the  great  bend  of  the  stream. 
Nothing  very  much  attracts  our  attention,  save 
the  beauty  that  is  inherent  in  green  fields, 
water,  and  trees,  until  we  reach  the  pretty 
little  village  of  Burcott,  upon  the  Oxfordshire 
side,  not  a  place  of  any  note  in  itself,  but  with 
rustic  cottages,  and  gardens  full  of  flowers, 
such  as  we  often  see  in  the 
villages  hereabout.  We  come 
presently,  then,  to  Clifton 
Hampden,  which  lies  between 
the  river  and  the  road  from 
Dorchester  to  Abingdon.  At 
this  point,  as  if  to  compensate 
in  some  way  for  its  slight  in- 
sipidity, the  river  assumes  quite 
a  new  character,  flowing  over  a 
bed  of  hard  sandstone,  which  is 
plainly  visible  through  the  clear 
water,  with  weeds  streaming 
over  it,  as  you  row  across,  and, 
if  you  be  a  punter,  you  will  feel 
the  hard  bed  with  the  end  of 
your  pole,  not  good  holding,  you 
will  say,  against  a  rather  swift 
stream.  From  Burcott  upward 
to  Oxford,  the  river  was 
deepened,  and  cleared  of  various 


obstructions,  by  Act  of  Parliament  passed 
in  the  twenty-first  year  of  James  I.  The 
cuttings  at  Clifton  and  Culham  originated  at 
that  time,  and,  while  they  greatly  facilitate  the 
navigation  of  the  river  for  steam  launches  and 
other  like  vessels,  they  leave  quiet  waters  for 
those  who  have  a  genuine  love  for  the  stream. 
Clifton  Hampden  derives  its  name  from  the 
sandstone  cliff  upon  which  it  stands,  ■  raised 
picturesquely  above  the  river,  in  a  manner  quite 
uncommon  among  Thames-side  villages.  Trees 
grow  luxuriantly  hereabout,  and  the  cottages 
of  the  village,  with  the  bright  flowers  in  their 
windows  and  gardens,  and  the  green  growths 


Photo.,  Taunt, 


Little  Wittenham  Church,  Interior* 


Oxj^rd. 


244 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


t'hvia.,  7 aunt. 


The  Cross,  Long  Wittenham, 


Ox/arct. 


that  cluster  up  to  their  thatched  and  tiled  roofs, 
are  as  pretty  as  any  by  the  Thames.  The  church 
was  ancient,  but  had  fallen  into  a  sore  state  of 
decay  when  it  was  completely  restored,  and  in 
great  part  rebuilt,  by  the  late  Mr.  G.  H.  Gibbs, 
from  designs  by  Sir  Gilbert  Scott.  It  is  one  of 
the  best  examples  of  the  village  churches  of 
that  architect.  You  enter  the  church-yard, 
from  which  there  are  delightful  views,  both  up 
and  down  the  river,  through  a  quaint  lichgate. 
The  church,  which  was  originally  an  appanage 


Photo.,  Taunt, 


The  Porch,  Long  Wittenham  Church. 


of  Dorchester  Abbey,  is  dedicated  to  St.  Michael 
and  All  Angels,  and  is  an  elaborately  beautiful 
structure,  particularly  rich  in  its  adornments,  and 
an  excellent  example  of  the  Decorative  style. 
It  contains  a  tomb,  with  a  recumbent  figure  of 
the  gentleman  through  whose  liberality  it  was 
restored.  At  this  point,  the  towpath,  which 
crossed  to  the  Berkshire  side  at  Day's  Lock, 
crosses  once  again  to  the  Oxford  bank,  and  the 
ferry  at  Clifton  was  well  known  on  the  river. 
It  has  been  replaced  by  a  fine  brick  bridge  of 
six  moulded  and  pointed  arches, 
with  a  good  parapet  and  piers. 
The  structure  has  not  yet  lost 
its  newness,  but,  when  time 
has  gently  toned  it,  it  will  rank 
among  the  finest  bridges  upon 
the  river.  It  is  extremely 
pleasant  to  cross  it  from  Clifton 
Hampden  to  the  quaint  old 
"  Barley  Mow,"  which  is  one 
of  the  most  picturesque  of  river- 
side hostelries.  Built  of  timber 
and  brick,  and  whitewashed,  it 
has  a  deep  thatched  roof  with 
dormer  windows,  and  the  door  is 
always  open  to  welcome  you.  It 
has  been  so  often  painted  that 
we  scarcely  need  describe  it. 
Modern  convenience  has  deman- 
ded the  suppression  of  many 
such  places  in  the  Thames 
Valley,  but  there  are  few  who  do 


Ox/oi-a. 


CLIFTON   HAMPDEN. 


245 


not  feel  the  rustic  charm  of  those  which  yet 
survive.  The  "  Barley  Mow  "  owes  a  good 
deal  to  the  hand  of  the  restorer,  who  has  been 
careful  not  to  destroy  its  primitive  character, 
as  you  will  discover  upon  entering  the  panelled 
parlour,  which  is  a  good  deal  like  the  cabin 
of  a  ship,  and  an  excellent  place  to  rest  in. 
Half  a  mile  above  Clifton  bridge  the  canal 
begins  by  which  the  navigation  is  conducted, 
cutting  off  a  great  piece  of  the  river,  with 
a  sharp  zig-zag  at  its  upper  end.  The  long 
cutting,  which  is  spanned  by  two  little  bridges, 
and  the  lock,  are  pretty  enough,  but  it  is  well 
worth  while  to  explore  the  river  itself,  which 
skirts  at  this  point  the  ancient  village  of  Long 


porch  is  of  the  former  period,  and  the  tower  of 
the  latter.  The  font  bowl,  like  others  here- 
about, is  of  lead,  resting  upon  a  stone  base, 
and  is  adorned  with  a  curious  row  of  figures, 
representing  a  bishop  giving  the  blessing. 

While  the  high  road  is  upon  the  Oxfordshire 
side  of  the  river,  there  is  a  pretty  lane  from 
the  Berkshire  village  of  Long  Wittenham,  by 
the  rural  hamlet  of  Appleford,  to  Sutton 
Courtney.  The  river  itself,  at  this  point,  is  a 
little  monotonous-  in  its  character,  and  for  a 
mile  and  a-half  the  boatmen  finds  little  to 
attract  his  attention,  after  the  railway  from 
Oxford  has  crossed  on  its  line  southward  to 
Didcot  junction.     At  Culharn,,  where  the  river 


Photo.,  Taunt. 


Clifton  Hampden  Bridge. 


Ox/or*. 


Wittenham,  already  referred  to.  The  pedestrian 
will  reach  the  village  by  a  pleasant  walk  from 
the  "Barley  Mow."  The  place  is  very 
ancient,  as  discoveries  of  early  remains  have 
testified,  and  as  a  tall  and  early  cross  and  the 
curious  old  church  of  St.  Mary  the  Virgin 
still  do.  Almost  every  style  of  architecture  is 
represented  in  this  venerable  structure.  There 
is  a  fine  Norman  arch,  separating  the  nave  from 
the  chancel,  with  other  portions  surviving  from 
the  same  period.  The  chancel  itself  is  in  the 
Early  English  style,  with  narrow  lancet  win- 
dows. To  the  same  date  belong  the  arches  of 
the  nave,  and  some  Decorative  and  Perpen- 
dicular features  will  be  discovered.     The  south 


is  spanned  by  a  fine  old  stone  bridge,  we  reach 
another  cutting,  like  that  at  Clifton,  by  which 
the  navigation  is  conducted,  while  the  oarsman 
who  has  leisure  pulls  up  to  Sutton  Pool,  which 
is  deep  and  good  for  fishing,  and  the  mill  near- 
by, and  leaves  his  boat  to  have  a  look  at 
Sutton  Courtney. 

For  this  is  certainly  a  place  worth  looking  at — 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  on  the  river.  It 
has  a  line  of  quaint  old  houses — such  as  we 
often  see  in  Berkshire  villages — straggling  for 
something  like  a  mile  by  the  broad  grass-grown 
roadway.  They  are  gabled  cottages,  with 
thatched  or  tiled  roofs,  carved  barge  boards, 
and  curious  chimneys.     Although  its  situation 


246 


THE    THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


Photo.,   lau?tt. 


The  Bar'ey  Mow,  Cliflon  Hampien. 


is  not  so  picturesque,  the  village  is,  in  its 
way,  more  cliarming  even  than  Streatley,  for 
tlie  modern  hand  has  touched  it  little,  and  it 
still  presents  the  very  aspect  it  bore — save 
for  innovations  here  and  there  —  when  the 
Abbots  of  Abingdon  rode  this  way.  Sutton 
Courtney  was  closely  connected  with  that 
lamous  abbey,  of  which  we  shall  presently 
visit  the  fragmentary  ruin,  and  yet  they  show 
you  the  "  Abbey  "  in  the  village,  which  seems 
to  have  been  a  cell  or  grange  of  the  monks  of 
Abingdon.      The  weir  above  Sutton  bridges. 


and  the  mill  there,  belonged  to 
the  abbots,  and  the  church  of 
All  Saints  in  the  village  bears 
the  evidences  of  its  monastic 
neighbours.  It  is  a  building  of 
somewhat  massive  character, 
with  a  wide  nave,  a  good  tower, 
and  many  windows  of  the  Per- 
pendicular period.  As  in  a  few 
other  churches  by  the  Thames 
side,  there  is  here  a  parvise 
over  the  porch,  which  bears 
the  arms  of  the  Courtneys,  who 
formerly  possessed  the  place, 
and  were  benefactors  to  the 
church.  The  gabled  manor 
house,  with  its  great  barns  and 
picturesque  old  gateway,  adds 
a  good  deal  to  the  historic  in- 
terest of  Sutton  Courtney,  and 
is  pictorially  excellent.  In  this 
village,  indeed,  there  are  abundant  subjects 
for  the  sketcher's  pencil.  The  solitary  river, 
too,  left  in  quietude  by  the  canal,  is  very 
delightful,  with  clear  water,  a  strong  stream, 
and  an  assemblage  of  wild  pools  and  reed- 
grown  islands  a  little  higher  up.  The  stone 
bridge,  of  many  segmental  arches,  is  par- 
ticularly good,  and  group  well  against  the  low 
hill-side,  with  the  trees  and  cottages  that 
neighbour  them. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the  river,  which  has 
been  pursuing  a  direction  east  and  west  from 


Oxford. 


Photo.,  '/aunt. 


Sutton  Courtney. 


SUTTON    COURTNEY. 


247 


Pheto.,  Taunt, 


Sutton  Courtney  Bridge. 


Oxford, 


Dorchester,  with  the  exception  of  the  great 
curve  at  the  Wittenhams,  turns  suddenly, 
with  a  rapid  bend,  northward  toward  Abing- 
don, as  was  indicated  earlier  on.  Just  where 
the  curve  ends,  and  above  the  region  of  turbid 
and  broken  water,  the  navigation  canal  returns 
to  the  stream,  and  so  we  pull  upward,  with  the 
little  village  of  Culham  on  the  Oxfordshire 
side,  towards  Abingdon.  There  is  not  much 
that  is  picturesque  on  this  part  of  the  river, 
though  away  to  the  right  we  see  the  deep 
woods  of  Nuneham,  beneath  which  we  shall 
.presently  pass  in  our  journeying  towards 
Oxford. 

Old-fashioned  Abingdon  is  a 
very  good  place  in  which  to 
break  the  journey,  for  it  is  both 
picturesque  and  interesting;  and 
the  country  round  about  deser- 
ves to  be  explored.  In  fact,  two 
or  -"three  days  may  well  be 
spent  here,  and  the  visitor  will 
leave  carrying  pleasant  recol- 
lections with  him.  Abingdon, 
which  had  been  a  royal  resi- 
dence in  very  early  times,  is 
one  of  those  places  which  have 
grown  up  about  great  religious 
houses;  it  took  its  name  indeed — 
for  before  it  had  been  called 
Sheovesham — from  its  abbey. 
Just  as  the  strong  hand  of  the 
baron  brought  aboutn>his  castle 
those  who  shared  his  bounty, 
came   to    his   call,   and  looked      ''''°'°-  '^"""• 


for  his  protection,  so  did  the  abbey  attract  to 
its  neighbourhood  a  great  many  who  served 
the  needs  of  the  house,  who  derived  advantages 
from  the  monastic  hospitality,  and  were  given 
employment  on  the  conventual  farmi,  and  in 
the  various  establishments  which  were  main- 
tained by  the  monks.  In  Cistercian  Houses, 
the  white-robed  men  were  labourers  in  the 
field,  cultivating  with  the  sweat  of  their  brow 
the  "vineyard  of  the  Lord."  And  with 
Benedictine  monks  —  and  Abingdon  was  a 
Benedictine  house  —  the  case  was  scarcely 
otherwise.  Fortunately  the  Chronicle  of  the 
Monastery  of  Abingdon  has  been  preserved,  and 


The  Church  and  Pool,  Sutton  Courtney. 


Oxford. 


248 


THE   THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


printed  in  the  Rolls  Series.  It  extends  from  the 
foundation  of  the  House  in  the  year  675  to  the 
accession  of  Richard  in  1189,  and  is  a  most 
valuable  record,  throwing  an  abundance  of 
light  upon  social  history,  on  the  relations  of 
the  clergy  and  laity,  and  the  state  of  society 
both  before  and  after  the  Norman  conquest. 
Abingdon  was  a  mitred  abbey,  and  within  its 
walls  Henry  1.  became  "  Beauclerc."  The 
house  grew  rich  by  many  benefactions,  and 
the  Abbot  had  often  a  very  diffkult  task  in 
averting  spoliation  at  the  hands  of  feudal  neigh- 
bours and  envious  towns.  His  privilege  of 
holding  »a  full  market  at  Abingdon  was 
particularly  obnoxious  to  the  men  of  Oxford 
and  Wallingford,  and— though  it  was  vindicated 
at  law  in  the  time  of  Henry  11.— by  protests 
before  the  king,  threats  to  renounce  their 
feudal   service,   and    appeals    to    arms,   they 


Let  us  first  enter  the  very  fine  church  of  St. 
Helen  by  the  river,  for  we  are  attracted  thereto 
by  the  noble  spire,  with  its  flying  buttresses. 
Within,  the  structure  is  exceedingly  handsome. 
The   nave   is   separated    from   the   aisles  by 
octagonal  pillars  supporting  fine  moulded  arches 
of  low  pitch,  and  rather  late  date.     The  roof 
is  elaborate,  and  the  aisles  and  chapels,  which 
are  divided  off  by  other  arcades,  have  roofs 
finely  panelled.      The  church  has   been   well 
restored,  and  contains  much  fine  wood-carving, 
including  an  excellent  screen,  and  is  greatly 
enriched   in   the   chancel.      There   are    many 
interesting   monuments   in   the  church.     One 
is  of  John  Roysse,  who  founded  the  Grammar 
School,    and    died     in     1571,    after     making 
provision  for  a  dole  of   bread   every  Sunday 
at    his    tomb,    to    12    old    people,    who,    as 
they  received  his  bounty,  were  to  cry  aloud 


Photo.,  britk 


St.  Helen's,  Abingdon. 


Rei^cttt, 


attempted  vainly  to  wrest  from  the  house 
of  Abingdon  the  profits  it  had  long  justly 
enjoyed. 

We  were  led  to  think  of  the  abbey  of 
Abingdon  before  we  had  set  foot  at  the  bridge. 
We  have  long  had  before  us,  in  our  journeying, 
the  lofty  spire  of  St.  Helen's,  which  is  a  great 
landmark  hereabout,  and  it  is  appropriate  to 
remark  that  the  church  makes,  with  the  bridge 
and  its  other  surroundings,  a  series  of  remarkable 
pictures.  The  buildings  of  the  Hospital  which 
line  the  banks,  might  have  come  from  some 
old  town  in  Holland,  and  are  certainly  very 
quaint  and  curious.  The  bridge,  too,  is  one  of 
the  most  ancient  on  the  river,  and  its  many 
pointed  arches  and  grass-grown  walls  are 
extremely  picturesque.  Unfortunately,  the  goal 
and  the  gasworks  are  too  near  them  for  the 
full  contentment  of  the  artist. 


"The    Blessed   Trinity  upon    John   Roysse's 
soul  have  mercy  !" 

The  old  people  of  Abingdon  were  evidently 
charitably  disposed,  for  in  the  churchyard  of 
St.  Helen's  are  almshouses  founded  in  the 
year  1707,  for  three  poor  men  and  as  many 
women.  Close  by,  too,  is  the  cloistered 
building  of  Christ's  Hospital,  shadowed  by  a 
row  of  lime  trees — a  mediaeval  foundation  which 
Henry  Viil.  dissolved,  but  which,  like  many 
other  institutions  throughout  the  country — 
Leicester's  Hospital  at  Warwick  is  a  famous 
instance— was  restored.by  Sir  John  Mason  in 
the  time  of  Edward  VI.  The  cloister  of  the 
hospital  is  very  remarkable,  and  strikingly 
picturesque.  It  is  enclosed  by  a  long  screen, 
with  a  row  of  small  round  arches,  well 
moulded,  and  reminiscent  of  earlier  traceries, 
above  which  there  is  a  coved  cornice,  rising 


ABINGDON. 


249 


Plwto.,  Taunt, 


Abingdon  Abbey. 


Oxjant, 


to  the  eaves,  and  supporting  the  steep  tileJ 
roof.  The  principal  porch  projects,  and  is 
adorned  with  curious  old  paintings  representing 
the  works  of  mercy.  There  are  other  singular 
frescoes,  too,  in  other  parts  of  tlie  structure, 
and  the  low-arched  doorways,  and  the  gablets 
which  overhang  them,  are  very  pleasing. 
A  lantern  is  on  the  top,  with  a  weather- 
vane,  for  in  the  matter  of  vanes  Abingdon  is 
famous.  This  lantern  lights  the  long  common 
hall  of  the  building,  which  is 
panelled  with  oak,  and  contains 
some  interestmg  old  pictures.  It 
was  the  later  part  of  this  hos- 
pital, built  of  brick,  and  dating 
from  the  year  1718,  that  we 
noticed  by  the  river,  as  possess- 
ing an  aspect  of  Flemish  quaint- 
ness,  even  as  if  it  had  been 
transported  from  Haarlem  or 
Amsterdam. 

We  may  now  proceed  from 
the  interesting  scenes  by  the 
bridge  to  the  Market-place, 
observing  various  quaint  old 
buildings  as  we  proceed.  In  the 
style  of  the  17th  century,  the 
market-house  is  raised  upon  a 
row  of  stone  pillars.  ;  It  was 
built  by  Inigo  Jones  in  1667,  and 
stands  upon  the  site  of  the  Market 


Cross  which  was  destroyed  by  Waller,  the 
Parliamentary  general,  in  the  Civil  War.  Near 
by  stands  the  quaint  old  church  of  St.  Nicholas, 
more  ancient,  far,  than  St.  Helen's,  with  the 
gateway  of  the  Abbey  for  its  neighbour.-*  The 
church  is  remarkably  picturesque,  being  built 
of  finely-coloured  stone.  At  the  west  end,  the 
lower  stage  has  two  blind  arches  of  early  type, 
belonging  apparently  to  the  transition  between 
the  Norman  and  the  Early  English,   while  the 


Phou..  Taunt.      Tjjg  Almshouses"  and  Christ's  Hospital,  Abingdon. 


250 


THE   THAMES  HLUSTRATED. 


midmost  arcll  is  round,  and  incloses  the 
entrance  door.  In  tiie  stage  above  has  been 
a  row  of  pointed  windows,  with  shafts  of 
Norman  character  to  separate  them.  But  of 
these  one  only  is  open,  the  others  having  been 
built  up,  and  a  large  pointed  Perpendicular 
window  inserted.  Above  rises  the  broad 
square  tower,  of  which  a  good  deal  of  the 
stonework  is  new,  and  there  is  a  curious  little 
gable  on  the  north  side.  Altogether,  the 
structure  is  very  interesting,  though  it  has 
undergone  a  good  deal  of  "restoration."  We 
reach,  at  last,  the  Abbey  with  which  we  began. 
The  gateway  is  close  by  the  church  of  St. 
Nicholas,  and  is  a  structure  of  Perpendicular 
times,  having  a  central  arch  of  Tudor  character 
with  enriched  spandrels,  and  low  arches  on 
each 'side,  while  above  are  two  windows  and 


contrast  of  colour  between  the  steep  tiled  root 
and  the  grey  old  stonework.      The  walls  of  . 
this  structure  are  of  great  thickness. 

The  prior's  house,  the  gateway,  and  crumb- 
ling fragments  are  the  last  remains  of  the 
Abbiy  of  Abingdon.  It  had  existed  for  some 
900  years,  and  had  grown — as  its  records  tells 
us— into  a  great  and"  noble  structure,  when  the 
hand  of  the  spoiler  descended  upon  it,  and 
then  what  pious  men  had  given  was  ruthlessly 
squandered,  not  being  expended  for  any  public 
good,  but  being  swept  into  the  Royal  coffers, 
or  conferred  upon  individuals,  with  an  effect 
that  went  far  to  destroy  public  morality  in  the 
century  that  was  to  follow. 

But  the  ruins  of  the  Abbey,  the  fine  churches, 
and  perhaps  as  much  as  any,  the  Hospital,  pos- 
sess very  picturesque  charms,  and  should  not  be 


W^ 


Pa^srs, 


;:::ssssj5ttS 


■jm; 


5fwa?^ 


Photo.,  'taunl. 


Abingdon  Bridge,  from  St.  Helen's  Tower. 


Ch^tri, 


'#,,statue  of  the  Virgin  beneath  a  canopy. 
Sortie  remains  of  the  Abbey,  itself,  still  exist, 
tliough  considering  the  greatness  of  the  house, 
they  are  very  few.  The  church  and  cloisters 
have  been  entirely  swept  away.  The  prior's 
house  is  supported  by  pillars,  from  which  spring 
the  groining  ribs.  The  vault  thus  formed 
is  very  fine,  though  the  place  is  encumbered 
with  the  wares  of  its  occupier.  The  entrance 
is  close  by  the  Thames  backwater.  Above, 
by  crumbling  steps,  we  reach  the  prior's 
chambers,  with  some  early  remains,  including 
pointed  doorways,  windows,  and  a  large 
chimney.  The  grouping  of  the  roofs  of 
this  structure,  with  its  curious  early;  chimney, 
which  is  crested  by  gables,  having  beneath 
them  perforations  for  the  emission  of  smoke,  is 
remarkably  picturesque,  and  there  is  a  delightful 


passed  unnoticed  by  those  who  traverse  the 
Thames.  The  little  river  Ock,  which  joins 
the  Thames  below  Abingdon  Bridge,  near  St. 
Helen's,  is  a  pretty  stream,  rising  near 
Faringdon,  and  flowing  generally  parallel  to 
the  Thames,  in  its  course  above  Oxford, 
through  a  pleasant  country,  and  by  interesting 
places.  The  rural  life  of  Berkshire  may  be 
studied  hereabout  very  advantageously,  and 
much  rustic  lore  may  be  learned.  It  was,  for 
example,  at  Uftington,  near  the  Ridgeway,  and 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Faringdon,  that 
Wayland  Smith  had  his  forge,  which  is  referred 
to,  in  the  Chronicle  of  Abingdon,  as  "Welandes 
Smihthe."  The  district  round  Abingdon  is,  in- 
deed, interesting,picturesque,  and  well  timbered, 
so  that  there  are  many  attractions  to  bid  tlie 
wanderer  spend  a  day  or  two  in  the  town. 


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/>/».«.,  J.  S.  Ca'/ord, 


Nuneham  Woods  and  Cottage. 


Hatnpton  IVitk. 


HFN  we  leave  Abingdon,  we  feel, 
with  a  certain  regret,  that  we 
are  approaching  the  end  of  this 
pleasant  journeying.  The  charms 
of  the  Thames  are  not  indeed 
exhausted,  for,  though  we  have 
passed  by  many  beautiful  places  in  ascending 
the  river  from  Richmond,  the  woods  of  Nuneham 
will  fairly  hold  their  own,  even  with  the 
umbrageous  steeps  of  Clivedon  and  Henley, 
From  Abingdon  Bridge  to  Oxford,  the  distance 
is  a  little  over  five  miles,  as  the  crow  flies,  but 
you  will  find  it  nearly  eight  in  pulling  up  the 
stream,  before  you  set  foot  at  the  Folly  Bridge. 
Old  Abingdon  looks  very  peaceful,  as  we  look 
back  to  it  from  the  lock,  with  the  great  spire 
of  St.  Helen's  pointing  skyward,  the  arches  of 
the  old  bridge  spanning  the  stream,  and  the 
•clusters  of  houses,  with  red  tiled  roofs  and 
vanes,  though  the  gasworks,  it  is  true,  as  is 
their  nature,  are  a  disfigurement.  The  surround- 
ings of  the  town  have  the  charm  that  belongs 
to  green  meadows,  with  the  familiar  riverside 
accompaniment  of  pollard  willows.  It  may  be 
well  here  to  make  a  final  remark  concerning 
the  fishing  of  the  river.  Generally  speaking, 
this  is  good  from  Abingdon  Bridge  to  Nuneham. 
Near  the  Bridge  is  a  sharp  stream  forming  a 
fine  scour  for  dace,  and  in  Blake's  Pool,  chubb 
and  barbel  may  be  obtained,  while,  under  the 
trees  and  by  the  reedy  flams  at  Nuneham, 
there  are  excellent  fishing  swims.  From  Nune- 
ham to  Oxford  the  angling  is  indifferent,  owing 
largely  to  the  pleasure  traffic  upon  the  stream, 


and  anglers  from  the  University  generally 
make  their  way  below  Sandford.  The  railway 
line  from  Oxford  to  Didcot  Junction  crosses 
the  river,  by  an  ugly  bridge,  something  more 
than  a  mile  above  the  lock  and  goes  due  south 
to  cross  it  once  more  at  Appleford.  For  it  is  at 
this  point  that  the  Thames  is  making  those 
great  convolutions  in  which  it  turns  almost 
upon  itself,  leaving,  between  Nuneham  and 
Clifton  Hampden,  a  veritable  peninsula,  with 
Abingdon  opposite  to  its  apex. 

The  deep  woods  of  Nuneham  are  very 
famous  upon  the  Upper  Thames,  and  afford 
endless  delight  to  many  picnic  parties  coming 
down  the  river  from  Oxford.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  to  imagine  anything  more  pleasant, 
in  its  way,  than  this  dropping  down  the  stream 
by  Iffley  and  Sandford,  to  enter  the  shadowy 
backwater,  and  set  foot  ashore  at  that  romantic 
thatched  cottage  by  the  little  fantastic  bridge, 
and  then  to  wander  through  the  woods  which 
line  the  banks.  Although  "Capability" 
Brown  has  been  a  good  deal  sneered  at,  it 
cannot  be  gainsaid  that  the  riverside  walks  at 
Nuneham,  which  he  laid  out,  are  supremely 
beautiful.  The  pathways  have  been  skilfully 
contrived,  and  vistas  cut  through  the  foliage, 
open  out  from  various  points  charming  views 
both  of  Oxford  and  Abingdon,  though  it  must 
be  confessed  that  the  chimney,  at  Sandford 
mill  is  a  sad  disfigurement  to  the  landscape. 

Nuneham  House,  long  the  seat  of  the 
Harcourt  Family,  which  is  well-known  to  all 
who  traverse  the  river  up  to  Oxford,  is  not  a 


266 


THE    THAMES  ILLUSTRATED. 


Nuneham  B.idge  and  Cottages,  fio.n  above 


place  with  any  great  architectural  pretensions, 
being  indeed  one  of  those  great  roomy  struc- 
tures whi..h  we  associate  with  tlie  days  of  tiie 
Georges.  They  are  comfortable  and  spacious 
within,  but  seldom  attractive  without.  But 
time  has  mellowed  Nuneham  a  good  deal,  so 
that  it  is  pleasant  to  look  upon,  as  it  stands 
there,  embowered  amid  trees,  and  you  know 
that  within  it  is  a  veritable  storehouse  of  art, 
rich  in  famous  portraits,  and  filled  with  the 
work  of  the  craftsman's  hand.  The  Harcourts 
h.id   been   dwelling  in  Oxfordshire  since  the 


rjwCo,,   Taunt, 


Nuneham  House. 


time  of  Henry  I.,  at  Stanton  Harcourt,  about 
nine  miles  from,  Nuneham,  and  two  from- 
Bablock  Hythe  on  the  Thames,  above  Oxford, 
before  Simon,  Viscount  Harcourt,  first  to  bear 
that  tiili,  and  Lord  Chancellor,  fixed  his 
affections  upon  Nuneham.  He  bought  the 
place  for  about  .£17,000  in  1710,  and  an  un- 
distinguished architect,  named  Leadbetter  was 
employed  to  design  the  structure.  The 
Harcourts,  of  Stanton  Harcourt,  had  been  some- 
what famous  men.  There  was  Sir  Robert,  of 
whom  a  portrait  is  at  Nuneham,  one  of  Raleigh's- 
ass(  ciates,  whose  purse  appears 
to  have  grown  a  little  lan'< 
through  his  expenditure  in  fit- 
ting out  an  expedition  to- 
Guiana.  Then  came  Sir  Simon 
Harcourt,  slain  in  the  Civil  Wars, 
said  to  have  been  the  first  officer 
who  fell  in  the  conflict,  thougli 
that  is  more  than  doubtful.*  It 
would  have  gone  ill  with  St  in- 
ton  Harcourt  if  Sir  Simon's 
widow  had  not  married  the 
famous  Waller,  and  tnus  averted 
confiscation  from  the  ancient 
abode.  It  was  at  Stanton  Har- 
court that  Pope  was  entertained, 
and  the  famous  piece  of  glass 
upon  which  he  scratched  the 
record,  "  Finished  here  the  fifth 
book  of  Homer,"  has  been 
brought  to  Nuneham.         w 

in  the  last  century  Nuneham. 
•"-^^ame    tlie    resort    of    many 


3if>l 


NUNEIIAM. 


2Cy 


literary  men,  anJ  in  Walpoie's  letters,  and 
the  pages  of  diarists,  there  are  many  refer- 
ences to  the  house  in  those  days.  "  Nune- 
ham,"  says  Walpole,  "is  not  superb,  but 
so  calm,  riant,  and  comfortable,  so  live-at- 
able,  one  wakes  in  a  morning  on  such  a  whole 
picture  of  beauty."  Admirable  portraits  of 
Walpole  himself,  and  of  Milton,  Rowe,  Pcpe, 
Prior,  and  Mason  are  in  the  house.  Amrn; 
other  beautiful  pictures  are  several  fine  examples 
of  Reynolds,  including  a  good  family  group  of 
the  Earl  and  Counte.-s  and  their  son,  a  wonder- 
ful Duchess  of  Gloucester,  and  a  portrait  of 
Reynolds  himself.  Other  portraits  are  by 
Velasquez,  Vandyck,  and  Gainsborough.    But 


gardens  at  Nuneliam  were  considered  unrivalled, 
and  they  still  retain  some  of  the  features  that 
gave  them  celebrity.  Among  these  are  thi 
Rock  Grotto,  and  the  Orangery  and  Rosery 
which  extend  along  the  western  part  of  the 
terrace.  Some  of  the  formal  gardening  is  very 
characteristic.  The  valley  of  the  Thames  has 
always  been  rich  in  its  foliage,  and  even  in 
early  times  we  find  mention,  locally,  in  th2 
"  Chronicle  of  Abingdon,"  of  oak,  hazel,  ash, 
b;rch,  and  beech,  of  the  thorn  very  often,  and 
occasionally  of  the  willow,  elder,  apple  and 
maple.  To  these  have  been  added  at  Nuneham 
Park  many  trees  of  beautiful  foliage,  and  conifers 
in  considerable  variety. 


Fhafo.,  Tattnt. 


Thj  Carfax  Conduit,  Nuneham,  and  tie  distant  Taamrs. 


it  is  not  the  purpose  here  to  catalogue  the 
portraits  and  other  pictures  at  Nuneham.  The 
latter  include  works  by  Murillo,  Salvator  Rosa, 
Wouverman,  Van  der  Velde,  Ruy.^dael,  and 
very  many  more.  In  addition  to  pictures  and 
statuary,  the  hall  is  a  perfect  treasure-house  of 
curious  and  interesting  relics,  splendid  examples 
of  Sevres  and  other  wares,  beautiful  specimens 
of  the  best  period  of  French  cabinet  work,  and  a 
crowd  of  objects  associated  with  famous  people. 
The  house  stands  upon  a  slight  elevation, 
and  is  surrounded  by  most  beautiful  gardens, 
to  which  access  can  be  had  at  prescribed 
periods,  and  by  a  most  glorious  park,  graced  by 
t   fine   variety   of   trees.      At   one   time   the 


There  is  a  beautiful  shady  walk  to  White- 
head's Oak,  to  which  many  visitors  to  Nuneham 
bend  their  steps,  tor  it  affords  very  fine  and 
romantic  views.  The  distant  spire  of  Abingdon 
peeps  out  from  among  the  trees,  and  the  prospect 
beyond  is  closed  by  the  range  of  the  Chilterns, 
which  we  have  long  left  behind.  Near  by  is 
the  old  water  conduit,  which  stood  once  on 
Carfax,  at  Oxford,  and  still  bears  that  name. 
When  the  High  Street  was  widened  in  1789, 
this  conduit  was  presented  to  George  Simon, 
Earl  of  Harcourt,  by  the  University.  It  is  a 
remarkable  example  of  the  decorative  stone 
work  of  the  time  in  which  it  was  built,  i6io>, 
and  tire  initials  of  its  builder — Otho  Nicholson — 


268 


THE    THAMES    ILLUSTRATED. 


thoto.,  Tautttf 


Sandford,  above  the  Lock. 


Oxford. 


are  used  very  curiously  by  way  of  ornamenta- 
tion upon  it,,  witli  flying  supports  for  the 
sculptured  cresting,andvane-bearino:  grotesques 
at  the  corners.  From  the  hill,  looking  north- 
ward there  is  a  fine  prospect  of  the  towers  and 
spires  of  Oxford,  standing  out  finely  from  their 
surroundings,  with  the  great  woods  of  Blenheim 
as  a  background. 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  house  stands 
the  disused  church  of  All  Saints,  which  the 
second  Lord  Harcourt  built  about  the  year 
3674,  intending  it  to  resemble  an  early 
Christian  structure.  The  vilLige  of  Nuneham 
Courtney,  which  is  upon  the  road  from  Dor- 
ch«»"-~ter    to    Oxford,    behind    the    park,   was 


Kennington  Reach. 


removed  a  little  further  from  the  house  b}- 
Earl  Harcourt,  who  aimed  to  be  a  rural 
philosoplier,  and  laid  down  plans  for  improving 
the  mental  and  moral  condition  of  the  people. 
A  new  church  was  opened  there  in  1880.  With 
these  remarks,  we  must  leave  Nuneham  Park. 
Fortunately  for  the  enjoyment  of  many, 
arrangements  are  made  by  which  picnic  parties 
may  land — under  conditions  and  at  specified 
times— at  Picnic  Cottage,  but  all  these  matters 
rest  with  the  steward  of  the  estate.  We  rejoin 
our  skiff  at  the  Cottage,  and  pull  slowly  along 
towards  Nuneham  Farm,  noting  the  reedy  flams 
along  the  bank,  which  are  fine  spots  for  jack 
and  other  fish. 

We  find  now  that  we  are  in 
a  more  level  country,  the  hills 
having  fallen  away  on  the 
Oxfordshire  side,  and  nothing 
now  of  any  note  lies  between  us 
and  Oxford.  Radley  is  away 
at  the  distance  of  about  a  mile 
on  the  Berkshire  side,  with  a 
fine  church  in  the  village.  Its 
well  known  college  is  plainly 
visible  from  the  Thames,  stand- 
ing upon  rising  ground,  and 
hereabout  you  very  often  see 
the  Radley  oarsmen  upon  the 
river.  The  whole  way,  indeed, 
from  Nuneham  up  to  Oxford, 
but  perhaps  chiefly  above  Sand- 
ford  Lock  is  the  practice  and 
pleasure  ground  of  college  boat- 
crews.  Sandford  is  a  little  un- 
picturesque — the  chimney  of  its 


IFFLEY. 


269 


mill  very  distinctly  so — :ind  there  is  an 
obelisk  by  the  lock  in  memory  of  two  Christ- 
church  men  who  were  drowned  there.  The 
pools  are  pretty,  but  somewhat  dangerous 
for  bathing.  The  village  itself  should  be 
visited,  for  it  lies  in  a  well  wooded  country, 
with  pretty  features,  hidden  behind  the 
churchyard.  Here,  is  an  old  farmhouse  of 
fine  character,  dating  from  the  17th  century, 
and  round  about  it  are  several  examples  of 
picturesque  old  village  d>vellings.  The  church 
is  an  ancient  structure,  going  back  to  Norman 
times,  but  chiefly  remarkable  for  its  examples 
of  later  periods.    It  has  twice  been  extensively 


may  of  len  see  equal  skill  displ  lyed  witli  t^ie 
oar,  and  in  handling  the  sailing  craft  which 
race  upon  this  part  of  tiie  river.  Rose  Island 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  stream,  a  pleasant 
place  to  Lind  at,  with  the  hospitable  inn 
known  by  the  name  of  the  "  Swan  "  upon  it. 
Beyond  this  point,  we  very  soon  approach  to 
Iffley  Lock  and  Mill.  The  mill  is  still  delight- 
fully picturesque  with  its  timber  walls  and  red 
tiling,  the  trees  that  surround  it,  and  the  grey 
old  tower  of  the  church  behind.  It  is  a  scene 
that  has  been  very  often  painted,  and  thus  is 
familiar  even  to  those  who  have  never  visited 
the  place, 


J^hc-t6.,  Tit2tnt, 


Iffley  Chufcli,  from  tfie  Soutli-west. 


Cxfiri. 


restored,  so  that  much  of  its  ancient  character 
has  been  taken  away.  The  first  restoration 
was  in  1652  by  Lady  Elizabeth  Isham,  as  is 
recorded  in  a  very  curious  tablet  over  the 
porch. 

"  Porticus  Patronae. 
"  Thankes  to  thy  Charitie,  religiose  Dame, 
Wych  found  mee  old  and  made  mee  new  againe." 

Old  gravestones,  gay  flowers,  and  fme  trees, 
with  a  view  of  the  old  farmstead,  make  a  very 
charming  picture  at  Sandford  village. 

Above  the  lock  is  Kennington  Reach,  a 
favourite  resort  of  boatmen,  upon  which  you 


Our  journeying  has  brought  us  to  many 
interesting  churches,  but  to  none  so  charac- 
teristically curious  as  that  of  iffley,  which  is  a 
most  remarkable  example  of  the  enriched  work 
of  Norman  builders.  We  do  not  find  here 
merely  the  zigzag,  or  chevron,  and  billet  mould- 
ings of  the  Norman  style,  but  the  zigzag  many 
times  multiplied,  in  combination  with  extra- 
ordinary beak  mouldin^^s,  and  grotesque  ?con- 
voluted  carvings  of  animals  in  great  profusion. 
The  west  front  is  the  most  remarkable  part  of 
the  structure.  The  wall  is  very  thick,  and  the 
zigzag  and  beak  carving  is  carried  to  a  wonderful 


?70 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


Fholo.,  Taunts 


Iffley  Church,  from  t  e  Sojth-east  (Winter). 


0  fori. 


degree  of  e'aboration.  The  door  is  flanked  by 
two  narrow  round-headed  arches  in  the  masonry, 
and  has  above  it  a  very  unusual  circular  win- 
dow, with  a  plain  moulding  enframing  a  zigzag 
ornamentation.  Above  this  again,  resting  upon 
plain  corbels,  are  three  windows  separated 
by  twisted  shafts,  with  triple  rows  of  orna- 
mentation round  their  arched  heads  in  the  thick- 
ness of  the  wall  through  which  they  are  pierced. 


The  West  Door,  Iff'ey  Church. 


Oxford, 


Other  work  of  the  same  kind  exists  in  various 
parts  of  the  structure.  The  north  and  south  doors 
areexceedingly  rich  exam  pies,  with  the  windows 
near  them.  The  broad  square  tower,  too, 
which  rises  between  the  nave  and  the  chancel, 
has  rounded  headed  windows  of  the  b^st  Norman 
type,  the  flat  pilaster-like  buttresses,  which  are 
characteristic  of  the  style,  and  a  corbel-tible, 
surmsunted  by  later  battlements.  T  .ere  is 
scarcely  a  part  of  this  curioas  structure  th  it 
will  not  repay  careful  examination,  for  perhaps 
nowhere  in  Hngland  can  such  singular  examples 
be  found  of  the  grotesque  enrichments  which 
were  a  feature  of  th.'  N  )rm  ui  style.  The 
eastern  portion  of  the  church  is  somewhat  later, 
iiaving  been  built  about  1270  by  Prior  Robert 
De  Iffley  of  Kenilworth,  and  has  lancet  windows 
of  simple  character,  internally,  the  bailJin^ 
impresses  one  with  a  sense  of  narrowness,  due 
to  its  length  and  the  absence  of  aisles.  It  is 
adorned  with  ornamentation  like  that  which  has 
been  bestowed  upon  thi  windows  and  doors 
externally,  and  the  zigzag  or  chevron  decora- 
tions, with  bunllowers  and  other  carvings,  may 
be  seen  upon  the  tower  arches.  The  chancel 
is  groined,  the  font  venerable,  an  \  the  whole 
of  the  interior  exceed  ngly  interesting.  The 
churchyard  is  famous  for  an  ancient  yew,  and 
for  a  tall  cross  with  a  restored  head,  which 
stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  chancel.  The 
Rectory  House  close  by  is  a  very  interesting 
structure,  embodying;  some  PerpenJicular 
work,  and  groups  very  well  with  the  hoary 
structure  of  the  church. 

behind  Iffley,  lie  Cowley  and  Littlem  ire,  the 
latter  well  known  for  its  association  with  the 
Oxford    Movement,    and    with   the    residence 


OXFORD. 


27  r 


Hfley  Mill. 


OxJotJ. 


tliere  of  the  late  Cardinal  Newman,  who  built 
1he  church  which  now  stands  in  the  village, 
in  this  way  Littlemore  was  linl<ed  with  a  move- 
ment wh.ch  profoundly  affected  thougiit  in  the 
University,  and  spread  a  wave  of  its  influence 
tlirougiiout  the  country.  Near  the  church  is 
fi  range  of  low  buildings  to  which  Mark  Pattiso.i 
and  otiiers  came  to  be  with  Newman. 

But  we  are  now  rapidly  approaching  Ox- 
ford. It  is  not  long  before  Christ^luircli 
Meadows  are  on  our  right ;  tiie  famous  Ciier- 
weli,  wiiich  lias  flowed  beneatli  beautitil  M  ig- 
-dalen  Bri.'ge  and  lingered  by  Addison's  Walk, 
is  pouring  its  waters  into  the 
Thames ;  we  have  almost 
reached  the  end  of  our  journey- 
ing. This  is  the  Folly  Bridge — 
not  worthy  of  Oxford,  but  a 
substantial  structure,  dat  ng 
from  tl-.e  prosaic  year  1825.  The 
■Grand  Pont  of  early  builders 
was  very  different ;  far  more 
picturesque  was  that  old  struc- 
ture, with  the  tower  known  as 
*'  Friar  Bacon's  Study  "  upon  it. 
Lying  along  the  bank  from  the 
bridge  to  beyond  the  mouth  of 
the  Cherwell  are  the  college 
barges,  which  have  become  club 
houses,  and  are  very  gay  with 
.ife  at  the  time  of  the  college 
-races.  These  barges  were  origin- 
ally those  of  City  companies. 
Larger  and  more  ornate  struc- 
tures  succeeded,    but   yet    the 


high  prow  and  graceful  sweep  of  the  old 
"  Oriel  "  barge — the  last  City  craft  remain- 
ing— is  not  lost  to  the  river,  it  may  be  said, 
in  a  true  sense,  that  the  Oxford  University 
men  discovered  tlie  river--disc(jvered,  that  is, 
the  river  in  a  boating  sense — ant.  all  along  the 
stream,  even  to  Putney  and  Mortlake,  we  may 
find  tlie  fruit  of  the  example  of  Oxford  oars- 
men. The  University  Boat  House  is  on  the 
Berkshire  shore. 

No  account  of  Oxford  itself  can  find  a  place 
in  these  pages.  We  shall  not  describe  its 
colleges,  it;,  halls,  and  the  many   int.."resting 


rw..  T.HM.       xjjg  College  Barnes,  from  the  Fony  Briige,  Oxford,  '''-""^* 


272 


THE    THAMES   ILLUSTRATED. 


Ihcio..  Taunft 


The  Old  "Oriel"  Barge. 


places  which  lie  within  the  city  bounds.  We 
must  be  content  to  glance  at  it,  so  to  speak, 
from  the  river.  Yet,  it  is  not  inappropriate 
to  consider  briefly  what  are  the  interests  that 
make  Oxford  such  a  fascinating  place  for  the 
close  of  a  river  journeying,  and  such  a  delightful 
point  from  which  to  set  out  upon  a  boating  excur- 
sion. '  How  Oxford  rose,  is  not  easy  to  tell. 
When  first  we  know  the  place,  it  is  as  a  fortified 
town  with  a  strong  Norman  castle,  lying  in  the 


nliJ^tof  the  swampy  meadows 
along  the  Cherwell,  and  the 
intricate  ■  network  of  divided 
streams  into  which  the  river  is 
broken  by  the  meadows  of 
Osney,  above  the  bridge.  Then 
no  stately  halls  or  glorious 
chapels  had  arisen  to  give  their 
cloistered  calm ;  there  were, 
periiaps.few  grave  and  reverend 
dons  ;  the  pomp  of  learning 
which  overawes  the  Freshman 
was  not  yet.  But  crowds  of 
eager  students  clamoured  for 
knowledge;  you  hs  often  with 
hungry  purses,  some  of  them 
actual  beggars,  all  manifesting 
nevertheless,  the  keen  thirst  for 
knowledge,  which  was  the  m  \rk 
of  Oxford  in  early  days.  Greatly 
changed  in  its  external  aspect  is 
the  Oxford  of  the  present  time. 
The  University  has  ripened 
through  the  centuries.  There  rests  upon  it  thj 
glamour  of  its  famous  associations.  Glorious 
is  its  architecture,  as  its  memories  are  great,  it 
is  supremely  pleasant  to  pace  these  beautiful  col- 
lege quadrangles, and  look  into  these  old  halls  and 
chapels,  to  hear  the  bells  of  Magdale:i  tower,  and 
walk  by  the  placid  Cherwell.  But  to  us  Oxford 
has  been  merely  a  destin  ition,  and  we  leave 
our  boat  at  the  bridge  knowing  well  that  ic  was 
a  place  of  exceeding  interest  to  journey  to. 


0;(A>id. 


I'hOlO.,     TuilllC,    0.\/V>: 


Old  Fol  y  Dridf.e  and  Fr  ar  Paeon's  Study, 


trom  an  £HI^'ra-uing, 


Q 
O 
O 

O  ^ 

9  s 

< 

JJ 
Z 

3 


•\X 


-^ 


'^<^! 


Mines 

In  ustrated 


,  A  Picturesque 
^  Journeying  6- 


FROr\ 


Rich  AON  d  to  Oxford.  \ 


^ S" 


John  Leyland. 


.^x 


xt( 


London. 
CEO.  NEWNES.  Ltd.  Southampton  ST.W.C. 
Printed  bij  HUDSON  &1'LEARNS.  London.  S.L. 


CONTENTS. 


TEXT. 


PAGE 

Abinghon  :  Abbey,  247-S-250  ;  St.  Helen's  Church, 
248;  Christ's  Hospital,  248;  Market  Place, 
249 247-250 

Ankerwyke  House 58 

"Barley  Mow" 244 

Basildon  I'ark 19^ 

Bens;ngton         ........     2il 

Bisham  127  —  130 

Bisham  Abbey 128 — 130 

Bisham  Church 129 — 130 

lioulters  Lock .     106 

Bourne  End 124 

Bray 104 — 105 

Caversham 177—178 

Chertsey         ........  55 

Cherisey  Abbey         .......       55 

Clifton  Hampden  .......         243 

Cliveden 121 — 123 

Cliveden  House 121 — 122 

Cookham    . 123 

Coopers  Hill 58 

Cowley       .........     270 

Crowmarsh    . 2ii 

Datchet 58 

Day's  I-X>ck 241 

Dorchester:  Abbey  Church,  225       .         .         .    225 — 226 
Dyke  Hills 225 — 241 

Eton:    Boating,    97;    College    and    Chapel,    98; 

Customs  and  Traditions,  100     .         .         .      97 — loi 
Ewelme 222 — 223 

Fawley  Court .     149 

Folly  Bridge 271 

Formosa  Island         .  .  .         .123 

Garrick's  Temple    ...  ...       49 

Gatehampton.         .......         198 

(ioring  :  Church  217;  Fishing  &  Boating,  218.    217 — 218 

Great  Marlow 124  -127 

Greenlands         .  ...         .         .         .     149 

Ham  House 5 

Hambledon  149 

Hampton  Church      .......       50 

Hampton  Court  :  Interests  and  Origin,  Plans, 
25-27  ;  Trie  Hall,  28  ;  The  King's  Presence 
Chamber,  28;  Wolsey's  Lodgings,  29  ;  Great 
Hall,  30;  as  Residence  of  William  and  Mary 
with  iheir  Alterations,  30-31  ;  William  Ill's 
Presence  Chamber,  32  ;  Queen  Anne's  Bedroom, 
32  ;  Queen  Anne's  Drawing  Room,  33  ;  Queen's 
Audience  Chamber,  33;  Wolsey's  Cloiet,  33; 
The  Chapel,  33  ;  The  Gardens,  33     .  25 — 34 

Hardwicke  House     .......     195 

Harleyford  Manor 145 

Hart's  Wood  197 

Hedsor .         124 

Henley  :  Boating  and  Regatta          .                      149 — 154 
Hurley 145 

Iffley 269—271 

Kenningtcu      .         .     ■ 269 

Kingston  .  .         ,         .         .11  —  12 

Lady  Place 146 

Laleham 57 

Littlemore 270 


page 

Little  Stoke        .         . 219 

Little  Wittenham  .......         242 

Long  Wittenham 243 — 245 

Magpie  Island .         148 

Maidenhead       ........     105 

Mapledurham.         ......        193 — 195 

Mapledurham  House 193 

Medmenham  . 147 

Medmenham  Abbey 147 — 148 

Molesey  Lock         .         .         .         .         .         ,         .  49 

Monkey  Island  ........     103 

Moulsford       .         .  .         .         .         .         .         219 

North  Stoke   .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .219 

Nuneham        .......       265 — 268 

Nuneham  House 266 

Oakley  Court 103 

Oatlands  Park       . 53 

Old  Windsor 58 

Orleans  House      .......  7 

Oxford:  Interests,  Early  and  Modern,  Account  of  271 — 272 

Pangbourne  :    Church,  and  Inland  Scenery,  ig6 — 

197 195—197 

Park  Place     .......         170— 171 

Petersham  Church .7 

Phyllis  Court 149 

Pope's  Villa » 

Radley 268 

Reading 175  — '77 

Regatta  l?land 149 

Richmond  .  Interests,  Early  History,  Park.         .        3 — 5 
Runnimede .       ;8 

Sandford  ........     268 

Shepperton    ........  53 

Shillingford 224 

Shiplake 173 

Sinodun  Hill 224 — 241 — 242 

Solomon's  Hatch  .......  169 

Sonning 173— '75 

Staines 57 

Streatley 199 — 202 

Streatley  Hill 199 

Sunbury 50 

Surley  Hall 103 

Sutton  Courtney 245 

Taplow  Court 123 

Teddington    . 10—11 

Thames  Ditton 12 

Twickenliam 7 — 10 

Virginia  Water 57 

Wallingford  :  Early  History,   220;  Church,  22T 

219-  221 

Walpole's  House 9 

Walton 51 

Warfrave 171 — 172 

Weybridge  53 

Windsor :  Origin,  73-82 ;  Character,  73 ;  As  a 
Prison,  74  ;  As  a  Royal  Castle,  75  ;  Build  of  the 
Castle,  76-77 ;  Plan,  77;  St.  Gi-orge's  Chapel, 
78-80;  The  .Mbert  Memorial  Chapel,  80  ;  The 
Round  Tower  and  Middle  Ward,  80;  The  Upper 
Ward  and  State  Apanm-.nts, 81 — 82;  Frogmore, 
82         .         .         .  ....        73—82 


FULL    TAGE    LLLUST%ATIONS, 


2 

13 
Id 

15 

16 

17 
18 

19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 


35; 


From  the  Tdrra'-.e,  Richmond  Hill 

Richmond  Bridge 

Richmond,  looking  down  Stream 

The  Old  Palace  Kew 

Richmond  Park  . 

Ham  House,  Petersham  . 

Radnor  Houso 

Pope's  Villa,  Twickenham 

Teddington  Lock 

Kingston  (below  the  Bridg 

Kingston  Church 

Surbiton.  Raven's  Ait 

Thames  Ditton     . 

Hampton  Court— The  Gr^at  Hall.  looking  Fast 

The  Hall  and  Entrance  to  the  Great  Watrh  ng 
Chamber,  36 ;  The  Second  Court  and  Clock 
Tower,  37  ;  The  Sicond  Court,  looking  S  juth- 
East,  38  ;  'Wohey's  Lodgings,  South  Front,  39  ; 
The  Old  "Pond  Garden,"  40;  The  Great 
Kitchen,  41  ;  King  William  the  Third's  State 
bedroom,  42;  Queen  Anne's  Bedroom,  43; 
Queen  Anne  s  Drawing  Room,  44  ;  The  Gar- 
dens, 45;  Queen  Marys  Bower  and  South 
Front,  46 ;  The  Lion  Gates,  47 ;  The  Private 
Gardens,  48  ;  Old  Hampton  Court  Bridge,  49     3'; — 49 

Molesey  Lock,  60  ;  Molesey  Weir,  61        .         .         Co— 61 

Sunbuiy        ..... 

Walton  Bridge  ...... 

Walton  Bridge  (from  an  Engraving  by  J.  .\L  W 
Turner,  R.A.)        ...... 

Shepperton 


62 
63 

64 
65 


Shepperton  Church 66 


Chertsey  Weir 

Ptnion  Hook  Lock 

Siaines  Bridse  ....... 

Tne  Picnic  Cottage,  Ankerwyke 

The  "  Bells  of  Ousley   " 

Romney  Lock       ........ 

Windsor — From  the  River,  83;  The  Lower  Ward 
and  Round  Tower,  84  ;  St.  George's  Chapel,  8s  ; 
St.  George's  Chapel  and  the  Deans  Verger's 
House,  86;  St.  George's  Chapel,  the  Ctioir, 
looking  East,  87;  St.  George's  Chapel,  ihe 
Choir,  looking  West,  88  ;  St.  George's  Chapel, 
the  .Nave,  looking  West,  89  ;  The  Albert  Memo- 
rial  Chapel,   lookmg    East,    90;    The    Albert 


67 
68 

69 
70 

71 

72 


Memorial    Chapel,    looking    West.    91 
Queen's  Presence  Chamber,  92;   The 
sho3  Cloisters,  93  ;  The  "  Norm  .n  Towei 
The    Long   Walk,   95  ;    The  C  .stle,    fro: 
Home  Park,  96  .... 

Eton,  from  Romney  Island 

The  Quadrangle,  Eton  College  . 

The  Memorial  Screen,  Eton  College  Chapel 

The  Dining  Hall,  Eton         .  ,         .         , 

Eton  College,  from  the  Playing  Fields 

Oakley  Court       ..... 

Bray  ...... 

The  Old  Cottages,  Bray 

Maidenhead     ..... 

Raymfad,  Maid'nhead 

Glen  Island,  Irom  Boulter's  Lock   . 

Boulter's  Lock     ..... 

Above  Boulter's  Lock 

Burnham  Beeches 

Cliveden,  from  the  River 

Cliveden,  The  Springs 

Cliveden  Reach 

Cliveden,  Cottage  and  Woo  !s 

Formosa  Island 

Cookham  Church 

Cookham  Lock 

Cookham  Weir 

Hedsor  :  The  Church  and  Casile    . 

Great  Marlow  :  The  Bridge  and  Weir 

Great  Marlow  :  The  Quarry  Woods 

Great  Marlow  :  The  Angler's  Rest 

Bisham.  from  the  River  . 

Bisham  Abbey 

The  .\bbey,  Hurky 


The 
Horse- 

94 
ih 


83-96 
107 
loS 
109 
no 
III 
112 

i'3 

114 

"5 
116 
117 
118 
119 
120 

131 

132 

133 
134 
135 
135 

137 
138 
139 
140 
141 
142 

143 
144 

I. '•5 


Harleyford .  156 


Harleyford  Backwater     . 

Medmenham,  from  the  River 

Medmenham  Abbey. 

Medmenham  Vil'age   . 

H  imbledon  Backwater    . 

Hambledon,  \'ews  at  Yewden 

Hambledon,  Weir  »nd  Mills   . 

Greenlands,  Hambledon     . 

Rf  gatta  Is'and  .... 

Henley  Regatta  .... 

Henley  Bridge  and  "  Angel  "  . 

Henley  Bridge     .... 

The  Boat-House,  Pari.  Place  . 

Houseboats,  by  Shiplake  Ferry  . 

Wargrave  Backwater 

Wartjrave     ..... 

Wargrave,  from  the  Ferry 

Wargrave  Church 

Shiplake,  from  the  Hill    . 

Shiplake,  from  above  the  Island. 

Sonning  Bridge         .... 

Sonning  Villag  s    .... 

Sonning,  the  Thames  Parade  . 

Caversham  Clappers,  and  Old  Bridgi 

Caversham  Lock  and  Weir 

Caversham.  from  the  River 

Mapledurham  Mill 

Mailcdurham  House  . 

Hardwicke  House    .... 

Hardwicke  House,  from  the  River 

Whitchurch,  from  the  Bridge. 

Pangb  .urne  Wharf  and  Whitchurch  Bridge 

Pangbourne  Weir  Pool     .... 

Pangb,  urne  :  Shooter's  Hill  and  Reach     . 

View  Irom  Harts  Wood  10  Streatley 

Streatley,  from  Gonng  Church  To^er 

S  reatley,  fiom  Goring  Weir   . 

Streatley  Church 

Streatley  Bridge  and  Goritg  Church 

Strtaley  Mill 

Goring  Church,  from  Streatley  Mill 
Goring  Mill  and  Bridge       .... 

Goring  Lane     ...... 

King's  Standing  Hill  and  Valley  of  the  Thames 

Cleeve  M.ll 

Moulsford  Ferry  and  "  Beetle  and  Wedge" 
Mongewell  Mill  Pond       .... 
Mongewell  Church,  from  River  . 
Wallingford  Hridge  and  St.  Peter's  Church 
Wallingford  Old  Lock  .... 

Wallingford  Market  Place       .         . 
View  from  Hill,  ShiUingford 
Dorch  sier  Mill,  River  Thame 

Dorchester  Abbey 

Day's  Lock,  from  the  Hill 

Sinodun  Hill,  showing  the  Earthworks 

Clilion  Hampden:  Bridge  and  Church   . 

Cli  ton  Hampden,  from  the  River 

Clifton  Hampden  Village 

Clifton  Hampden  Church   .... 

Sutton  Courtney 

Abingdon  Bridge  ..... 

Abingdon  :  St.  Helen's     .... 

Abingdon :  St.  Helen's,  from  the  South  side 

Abingdon  :  Christ's  Hospital    . 

Abingdon  :  St.  Nicholas'  Church  and  Abbey  Gatew, 

Abinglon:  The  Abbey  Mill 

Abingdon  ;  The  Regatta  Reach 

Nuneham  :  In  the  Woods    . 

Nuneham  Bridge,  from  the  Wood  . 

Radley  Church  from  the  Park    . 

Kenningto.i  Reach  :  A  Sailing  Race 

Iffl^yMill 

Iffley  Church 

Iffley  Rectory  and  Church  . 

Iffley  Church   from  Above:   The  lower  part 

Oxfor.l  Course  . 
Oxford  Eights :  Tne  Last  Spurt  for  the  Bump 
0<tbrd  :  The  College  Ba-^ges  and  Folly  Bridge 
Oxford  :  The  Frozen  Thames  at  ihe  Willows 
The  Thames  at  Oxford  :  The  Eights  after  a  Race 


of 


PAGE 

157 
.    158 

i.',9- 

.   160 

161 

.   162 

163 
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165. 
.  166 

167 
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179 
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181 
.   182 

183 
.   184. 

185. 
.  i8fr 

187 
.  188 

189. 
.  190 

igr 
.   192 

203. 
.  204 

205 
.  20") 

207 
.  208 

209 
.  210 

2H 
.  212 

213- 

.  214 
215 

.  216 
227 

.  228 

229 
.  230 

231 
.  232 

233 

•  234 
235 

•  236 

237 

.  238 

239 

.  240 

251 

.  252 

253 

•  254 
255 

.  256 

257 
.  258 

259 

.  260 
261 
262 

263 
264 

273 
274 
275 

276 

277 
278 
279 


ay 


the 


280 
281 
282 
^83 
284 


SMALL    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Richmnnd  HMl  ........  4 

The  Whit-^  Lodge 5 

Petersham  Church    ....  .5 

Orleans  House       ......  C 

A  Perspective  View  of  Twickenham          ...  7 

Twickenham  Church      ......  8 

Teddington  Lock       .......  9 

Kingston  Bridge     .......  10 

The  Coronation  Stone  .  .         .10 

Surbiton  (Kingston  Regatta).         .         .         .         .  11 

Hampton  Court  Bridge     ......  12 

Hampton  Couit.  from  the  West,  26;  The  East 
Front,  26;  The  Great  Hall,  looking  West,  27; 
The  King's  Guard  Chamber,  28  ;  The  Fountain 
Court,  29 ;  Ceiling,  Queen  Anne  s  Drawing 
Room,  29  ;  The  Fireplace,  Queen's  Gallery.  30; 
The  I^ong  Water  and  Avi  nuesin  the  Home  Park, 
31;  The  Chap'l,  31;  The  South  P'ront,  32; 
Queen  Miry's  Bower,  32  ;  '1  he  Fish  Court,  33    26—33 

The  D  ana  l^'ountain,  Bushey  Park       ...  34 

Garrick's  "  Temple  "  and  Hampton  Church  49 
A  Perspective  View  of  Hampton  Court  Bridg';  across 

the  River  Thames,  1753.         ....  50 

Sunbury  Lock    . 51 

Wal  on  Church      .......  51 

Walton  Bridge,  1794  ....  .52 

Hallilord 52 

Weybridge          ........  53 

View  of  Shepperton  in  1752  .....  54 

Chertsey  Lock,  54  ;  Chertsey  Bridg',  55  .  54 — 55 

London  Stone    ........  56 

At  Ankerwyke         .......  56 

Magna  Charta  Island         ,....,  57 

WinHsor — From  the  River,  73  ;  Henrv  VIII.'s  Gate- 
way, 74  ;  St.  George's  Cnapel,  West  Front,  74  ; 
St.  George's  Chapel,  the  Nave,  75  ;  The  Albert 
Memorial  Chapel,  76  ;  Prince  Consort  s  Monu- 
ment, 76;  The  Deans  Cloisters,  77  ;  The  Old 
Song  School,  78 ;  The  Queen's  Audience 
Chamber,  78 ;  The  Throne  Room,  79 ;  St. 
George's  Hall,  80 ;  Queen  Elizabeth's  Gateway, 
80 ;    East   Front  and   Garden,  81  ;    From  the 

Bridge,  82 73  -82 

Eton  Irom  the  River      ......  97 

Eton  College  Chapel.         ......  98 

Eton  College  Chapel,  looking  East         ...  (,;> 

Keate's  Lane,  Eton    .......  99 

Surly  Hall loj 

Clewer       .........  100 

Monkey  Island loi 

Bray  Church                                         .         .         .         .  ic2 

The  Garden,  Jesus  Hospital,  Bray        .  102 

Hind's  Head,  and  Entrance  to  the  Churchyard,  Bray  103 

The  Fishery,  Maidenhead 104 

Taplow  Bridge  an  1  Maidenhead       ....  105 

Burnham  Beeches 105 

Maidenhead  Bridge  .......  106 

Cliveden  Ferry, 121 ;  Cliveden  Woods,  122;  Cliveden 

House,  122 121  — 122 

Entrance   to  the  Lock,  Cookham,   123;    Cookham 

Villagf,  124;  Cookham  Moor,  125.         .        1^3—125 
Hedsor,   and   Odney   Weir,   125  ;   Hedsor   Fishery, 

126;   Hedsor  Weir,  127  ....         125—127 

Bourne  End  from  the  Tow-path         ....  127 

Great  Marlow 128 

High  Street,  Marlow 128 

Greit  Marlow  in  1814    ......  129 

Bisham  Abbey,  The  King's  Fireplace       .  130 

Bisham  Abbey  Irom  the  River       ....  130 

Lady  I'lace,  Hurley  .                                      .         .         .  145 

Harleyford  House 146 

Temple  House  and  Island.         ...                   .  146 

Lady  I'lace  from  the  River 147 

Lady  Place  from  the  South-East      ....  147 

Harleyford  Weir 148 

Medmenham  Church         ......  149 

Medmenham  fro.m  the  Hill   .....  150 

Medmenhnm  Abbey  .......  150 

HamUedou  Weir 151 


The  Thames  at  Henley 

"  The  Red  Lion,  "  Henley 

Henldy  Market-place 

Kemenham  Church 

Over  llenlty  Bridge  . 

On  the  Tow-path  above  Henley 

Marsh  Mills  and  Bridge    . 

Ab  )ve  Mari>h  Lock 

Wargrave  from  the  Towing  Path 

Waig  ave  Church  . 

I^ustic  liridg--,  near  Wargrave  Church 

Shiplake  Lock  and  Mills,  from  bslow 

Shiplake  Church  an  I  Farm 

Interior  of  Shiplake  Church  . 

The  Thames  tiom  Shiplake  Court    . 

Sunning  Church  fiom  the  North- West 

Sonning  Old  Bridge  to  Sonning  Eye 

Sonning  Lock         .... 

Cavershara  Weir  and  Pool 

The  Eel-Bucks  at  Caversham 

Mapledurham  Weir,  193;  Mapledurham  Church, 
194  '•  Mapledurham  Lock,  194  ;  Mapledurham 
Hou^e,  from  the  Lawn,  193  .         .         193 

Whitchurch  Bridge  

Whitchurch  Village       . 

Pangb^urne  Weir,  from  the  Lock-House 

The  "  Swan,"  Pangbourne     ..... 

View  of  Hart's  Wood,  looking  down 

The  Upper  Path,  Hart's  Wood     .... 

Tne  "Swan,"  Sireatley 

Streatley  Biidge 

Basildon  Village 

Streatley  from  the  Hill  . 

Streatley  Mill     .... 

Goring  Church  from  the  Island 

Goring  Lock  from  above   . 

Ferry  Lan?,  Goring 

Cleeve  Mill  from  below 

The  "Leither  Bottel,"  Cleeve 

An  Old  Berkshire  Barn 

Moulsford,  from  the  River 

Walling'ord  Bridge   . 

Wallingford  Castle,  South  Tower 

Crowmarsh  Village    . 

Bjnsington  Weir     . 

Shillingford  Bridge    . 

Ewelme  Almhouses  an  1  Church 

Eweline  Church  and  Monuments 

Dorchester  Church,  with  the  J-sse  Window 

Dorchester  Church  and  the  River  Thame 

Day's  Lock,  from  the  Hill      . 

Sinodun  Hill,  from  Day's  Lock         .         .         .         . 

The  Backwater,  Day's  Lock  ..... 

Little  Wittenham  Church  .         ,         .         .         , 

Little  Wittenham  Church  (interior) 

The  Cross,  Long  Wittenham  .         .         .         . 

The  Porch,  Long  Wittenham  Church  . 

Clifton  Hampden  Bridge  .         .         .         .         , 

"  The  Barley  Mow,"  Clifton  Hampden 

Sutton  Courtney         ...... 

Sutton  Courtney  Bridge         ..... 

The  Church  and  Pool,  Sutton  Courtney 

St.  Helen's  Abingdon     ...... 

Abingdon  Abbey        ...... 

The  Almshouses  and  Christ's  Hospital,  Abingdon 

Abingdon  Bridge,  from  St.  Helen'  Tower     . 

Nuneham  Woods  and  Cottage  .... 

Nuneham  Bridge,  and  Cottages  from  above 

Nuneham  House  .  ... 

Carfax  Conduit,  Nuneham,  and  distant  Thames  . 

Sandford  above  the  Lock  .         .  .         . 

Kennington  Reach.         ...... 

Iffley  Church  from  the  South- West. 

Ifiley  Church  from  the  South-Hast  (Winter) 

The  West  Door,  Iffley  Church  .... 

Iffley  Mill 

The  College  Barges  from  the  Folly  Bridge,  Oxford 

The  Old  "  Oriel  "  Barge 

Old  Folly  Bridge  and  Friar  Bacon  s  Study 


•  152 
152 

■  153 
153 

■  154 
169 
170 
170 

■  171 

172 

•  173 
173 

■  174 
174 

•  175 
176 

.  176 
177 

•  177 
178 


-195 
196 
196 

197 
197 
198 
198 
199 
200 

200 
201 
202 
217 
218 
2l8 
219 
220 
220 
221 
222 
222 
22  f 
223 
22,^ 
225 
225 
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225 
241 
243 
242 
243 
243 
244 
244 
245 
246 
246 
247 
247 
248 
249 
249 
250 
265 
260 
266 
267 
26S 
268 
269 
270 
270 
271 
271 
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